


Crash and Burn

by CanuckleheadCowgirl, magnetocerebro



Series: The 714 Marvel Universe [46]
Category: Avengers (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse), Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Lots of Angst, X-Kids - Freeform, second gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 72,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26473996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanuckleheadCowgirl/pseuds/CanuckleheadCowgirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnetocerebro/pseuds/magnetocerebro
Summary: Apocalypse might be dead, but that doesn't mean everything's okay for his ex-Horsemen or for their friends and family. Cody Summers is dead. Kitty Pryde is dead. And James Howlett just tried to kill himself. Not to mention Leslie Ann Wright and Billy Kaplan are both flirting with insanity, Rachel and Chloe Summers are suffering from massive guilt, Logan and K are bracing themselves to lose their son, Scott Summers is unable to walk more than a few steps, and the international outcry is coming for the X-Men.
Relationships: Chance Summers (OC)/Elin Howlett (OC), Jubilee/Noh-Varr, Krissy Wagner (OC)/Sying-Varr (OC), Kurt Wagner/Kate Bishop, Logan/K (OC), Scott Summers/Annie Hale (OC)
Series: The 714 Marvel Universe [46]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/552748
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Aftershocks

**Author's Note:**

> Just gonna warn you now that this volume deals heavily with suicidal ideation, so be prepared.

The sudden calm that had descended on James when he made his decision hit Rachel like a psychic tidal wave, so she was the first to realize what was going on — but not the first to act, not when she was reeling and in shock herself and convinced that her presence had tipped James just that little bit past the edge he was already standing on.

Tyler hadn't been too far away from James when he heard the unmistakable sound of his claws tearing into his own body. All at once, he was bounding across the lab to where James was, swearing at James over and over again as he saw the blood pooling around him. He called for Hank — who was more than a little surprised at the tone Tyler had taken, not to mention the language, though he quickly understood when he saw the scene.

"Don't you die on me," Tyler snarled, his lips curled back as he grabbed James's arm with one hand, putting pressure on James' chest, starting to pump his all into healing him. James had done himself some serious damage — the kid knew what he was doing — and it had Tyler growling outright in frustration as he tried to stay ahead of the curve healing James.

He didn't let up on the growl the whole time he was healing James, and once he saw out of the corner of his gaze that Hank was handling the massive blood loss, he closed his eyes to concentrate.

It took longer than Tyler would have liked to see, but he finally leaned back with a weariness to him that he didn't think was possible, though the growl still hadn't stopped, and he didn't think it would. He was too tired to stop it, anyway, because even if James' healing was shot, that didn't mean he wasn't a healer. It was still harder to heal him than it was to heal non-healers, even if the current wasn't as strong as it usually was for the moment. And he couldn't risk putting an inhibitor on James when he wasn't convinced that his healing wasn't working at least a _little_ over the norm. Every little bit of healing mattered.

When James finally opened his eyes again after the intense healing, he was reeling as Tyler snarled at him. "You don't get to make that decision," he snapped. "Ever." He was still growling as he hauled him onto the bed a little more roughly than he'd intended to. The breath left James in a woosh as Tyler started to tie James down, his eyes narrowed. "You're not the only one hurting right now."

James closed his eyes and leaned back into the pillows, exhausted and disappointed to be waking up in spite of all that Tyler had poured into him. Now, on top of the rest of his borderline feeling of disembodiment, he could feel where his claws had sliced him open — burning even after the wounds were gone. It was all he could do to keep from falling apart in tears. But the angry chuffing from Tyler only had James cursing himself for not just putting his fist _under his chin_ instead of his chest.

When Tyler was finished tying him down, he let out a satisfied little huff before he leveled a finger James' way. "You're not the only one that would be hurt if you were gone. Pull. Your. Damn. Head. Out."

It wasn't long at all before Logan showed up — having heard the familiar snarl from down the hall, though he didn't look nearly as mad as Tyler when he saw the aftermath. More like he had been wondering when rather than if.

Tyler spun to face Logan, still worked up, though he made a visible effort to relax when he saw the expression on Logan's face. The one that showed how intimately familiar _Logan_ was with what James was going through. It brought up all sorts of old conversations that Tyler had with Logan years ago, and the haunted expression was the same now as when the two of them had discussed how Logan had fully expected to go to Hell. It set Tyler back, and he took a moment to compose himself, searching for something _professional_ to say before finally settling on the facts. "He can't pull his arms or wrists out of the restraints the way we've got them. Dad and I have done it this way for you a few times too, so he's _not_ doing that again."

Logan nodded at that and let out a sigh. "Not while he's in here anyhow."

Tyler's look of alarm was easy enough to read as he whipped his head toward Hank for guidance. "He's not going anywhere until we are both reasonably convinced that won't be the case," Hank said, frowning James' way and looking dismayed.

Logan watched James for a long moment before he turned back to Hank, though he didn't take his eyes off his son. "Then I have some bad news — 'cause that'll be what he's waiting for."

"Give me at least a little credit, my friend," Hank said. "I have seen more than my share of comrades in arms through exactly this kind of crisis."

"Voice of experience, that's all," Logan said, looking far more guilty than he should have. "That's what I'd do. What I _have_ done."

"Yes, well, not with _me_ on watch. I assure you that I'm not so easy to convince," Hank said.

Logan nodded, then turned to head to the other side of the lab, looking more defeated than either of them had ever seen him. "I'll clean that up."

" _Nonsense_ ," Hank said. "Stay with your son and let us handle the rest of it."

"Part of the job description," Tyler said in an attempt to sound a little less like he was ready to take someone's head off.

Logan ignored them and didn't acknowledge the sentiment. Instead, he continued on his way, intent on taking the time to deal with the mess so he could process what to do _now_.

Hank sighed, knowing he couldn't help either Logan or James and knowing that Tyler needed the space to work out how truly _upset_ he'd gotten before he could begin to approach his stepson. He turned to leave — and realized that Rachel was still in the lab, frozen with one hand over her mouth as she tried and failed to hold back shocked tears. She hadn't moved a single step from where she'd been when she heard James' thoughts take their turn, which further tipped Hank off to something being wrong, since she hadn't even made it to a seat or a doorway; she was just in the middle of the lab, stock still.

"Rachel, come along," Hank said gently as he took a hold of her arm to guide her off.

She let him guide her, though she was still looking toward James. _I killed him,_ she projected, panic ringing in her telepathic voice. _I killed him, Hank._

_No, Rachel, you did no such thing._

_He's reliving the fire, not Apocalypse,_ she said. _I did that to him._

_That can't be all he's reliving, Rachel._

_No, but that's what he sees when he closes his eyes._ She closed her own eyes, trying to center herself. _If you could hear him..._

_Rachel, he did this to himself._

_I shouldn't have come,_ she said, not even listening to him.

 _This was not your fault_ , Hank insisted. "He'd been through trauma well before the _Phoenix_ went after him. _You_ , Rachel, have been working to _help him_."

Rachel finally turned his way, with a dry look. "I lost control. It was absolutely my fault."

"Rachel, no," Hank said, shaking his head as he held her by both shoulders. When it was clear she wasn't budging on her stance, he shifted gears. "Come on, Rachel, I'm sure you'd be best with your husband."

Rachel nodded tightly. "Alright."

Hank sighed heavily, then looked over to Tyler, who was tripping over himself to try and _help_ Logan, since Logan wasn't listening to him to let _him_ handle things. "I would feel better if I walked with you. Shall we?" He didn't wait for an answer before he led her off, frowning all the way, since he knew that no matter what Rachel had heard, she'd be blaming herself.

"You should stay with James," Rachel said quietly. "I know the way."

"James has his father and Tyler," Hank said. "He's been restrained - he is taken care of for the time being."

"I'm fine, Hank."

"Yes, and I'm well-versed in how _not_ fine that means. I'll walk with you all the same."

Rachel sighed but knew she couldn't stop him, so, she let Hank walk with her until they reached the suite where she and Bobby were staying with their girls. Eventually, they would be headed back to Chicago — she was supposed to be running things there in Kitty's absence — but she wasn't remotely ready to do that yet.

"I trust that you'll be able to excel in a level of comfort and care that is outside of my professional standards," Hank said to Bobby with an apologetic look.

Bobby looked between the two of them, not too surprised to see that Rachel was struggling but wondering what had happened _now_. Still, he nodded to Hank as he made his way over and put his arm around Rachel's shoulders. "I got it," he promised Hank, glad that their girls were downstairs playing with Grannie Annie in the kitchen so he could figure out what was going on with Rachel. _You look like you've seen a ghost, babe,_ he projected to Rachel before Hank was even out of the room.

Rachel sighed, but it wasn't until Hank left that she leaned into Bobby and wrapped her arms around his middle, projecting to him everything that had happened until he was left reeling too - and unable to come up with anything to say until he'd processed how very, very downhill things had gone.

So, he pulled her into his arms and brought her back into their room, letting her curl up with him in quiet so she could at least get her thoughts off of what had happened. That was a start, anyway.

* * *

_Sying's cape was trailing behind him as he took every step, the long fabric dragging through blood and carnage as he looked around the lawn._

_He had done this. He had orchestrated this battle, and here was the result of his good work._

_The X-Men were dead. Their bodies littered the ground, though in some places, there was nothing to identify but charred remains where Sying had stepped in and simply blown them to pieces. Others had their necks broken by his own hand._

_He walked through the battlefield and took it all in. Cody was dead. Chance beside him. Sying's sisters were both bleeding slowly to death, their healing spent…_

_Sying stopped when he saw a flash of purple, and for the first time, he wasn't proud of the destruction around him. Instead, he rushed toward Krissy where she was bleeding, dying, but not yet dead._

_Before he could get there, though, there was a great tug, and he nearly choked as a chain around his neck stopped him, yanked him back. He looked back with wide eyes to see Apocalypse holding the other end, laughing at him as he tried to break free, tried to get to Krissy-_

"Sying!"

He jerked awake, still in a clear panic and barely able to draw a breath, the memory of the feeling of the chain around his neck making it hard to pull in the air that he needed to calm down.

Krissy was beside him, her tail wrapped around his wrist and her eyes wide as she watched him struggle. He could hear her whispering to him in a soothing tone and felt her brushing his hair back, but he couldn't quite hear what she was saying over the rush of blood in his ears and the pounding in his head.

And when she took his face in both of her hands to try to get him to focus on her, it had the opposite effect. All of a sudden, all he could remember was anger and rage flooding through him, and he let out a little noise of terror as he simply shoved her back away from him, hard, scrambling out of the bed and practically falling to the floor as he did so. She stared at him, wide-eyed, her tail going still as she was at a complete loss for what to do to help him to feel better.

He had meant to scramble further away but couldn't get that far, simply folding in on himself and struggling to breathe, unable to focus through the memory of all of the anger, all of the pain.

Krissy stared at him as he curled in on himself on the ground for a moment longer before she called for help, and to her relief, Hope was the one to get there, frowning when she saw Sying on the ground before she swept over and crouched down in front of him. She didn't touch him, not when she could glean from Krissy's mind what had happened when Krissy tried to hold him, but she did reach out into his mind.

 _Sying, you need to focus,_ she told him firmly. _You're home, with Krissy. I need you to breathe._

By that time, Sying had curled into a protective ball, almost like he was defending himself from any blows, his hands over his head and his knees pulled up to his chest, and he simply didn't seem to be able to focus on what Hope was saying.

Hope let her shoulders drop as she saw some of what it was Sying was reliving — not just being War but the other times he had been imprisoned and enslaved. The Russians and Shi'ar were blending into his experience with Apocalypse, and it was clear that he simply couldn't find his way out from under the weight of all that misery.

With a sigh, Hope reached out to his mind and simply let him sleep, watching him carefully as unconsciousness evened out his breathing. Then, she looked up at Krissy, who was still clearly terrified on Sying's behalf and watching the whole thing with her lips parted and her eyes brimming with tears. "It should help him to sleep," Hope explained gently. "But right now, he's having a hard time with reliving what happened to him — and not just with Apocalypse."

Krissy's ears drooped as she nodded her understanding, gently making her way down to the floor to sit beside Sying and Hope. "What can I do?"

"Don't try to hold his head to make him focus, for one thing," Hope advised, knowing from Sying's memory of it that it had been the reason he'd pushed her away. "When the four of them were taken over, that was part of it — they couldn't look away from him."

Krissy nodded softly as she brushed Sying's hair away from his face. "He's hurting so much," she said quietly, sounding outright heartbroken. "He sounded so terrified when he was dreaming."

"I'm not really surprised," Hope admitted. "What those four went through was torture — mental, physical, emotional, all of it." She let out a sigh as she watched Sying's even breathing. "It's not something you bounce back from." She put a hand on Krissy's shoulder. "Even with amazing support and great news to look forward to," she added with a warm smile Krissy's way. "But I promise you, that part _is_ helping."

Krissy nodded quietly, leaning over until she had more or less fallen onto Hope's shoulder. Eventually, Krissy let Hope go, but Hope wanted to wait until Sying woke up. If he woke up swinging, Hope didn't want Krissy to get hurt — but she wasn't telling Krissy that part.

Thankfully, though, Sying woke up quietly, curling into himself more than anything and looking positively miserable when he glanced over at Krissy and let out a little noise. "I'm so sorry…"

Krissy rushed forward to close the gap between them and to pull Sying into a hug. "It's okay," she promised, stroking his hair as he laid his head on her chest. "It's okay. You're allowed to be 'not okay' after everything that happened."

"I didn't mean to — I don't want to hurt you," he muttered quietly as she pulled him tighter and Hope quietly excused herself to give the two of them some privacy.

"It's alright," she promised. "Hope explained what the problem was, and I won't do it again. It's _fine_." She kissed his forehead and resisted the urge to cup his face to get him to look up at her. "I'm alright."

"You're pregnant," Sying said softly. "I shouldn't have shoved you."

"Yeah, don't do that," she said with a small smile. "Sying, you weren't thinking. It's alright. Come back to me and stop getting lost in it. We're going to work through this and get you some help, and it's going to be alright, I promise."

Sying held onto Krissy tighter, barely even picking up his head, before he breathed out, "I wanted to help him."

Krissy shook her head lightly as she smoothed back his hair and kept up with the little kisses. "No, Papa said you would think that, but that's just not true," she promised him. "He made you think you chose it so you would serve him as well as you could instead of fighting him every step."

"He said I needed to prove I was a better War than Deathbird," Sying said, still in that same bare whisper that Krissy almost had to strain to hear.

Krissy let out a breath and pressed a long and lingering kiss to the side of his head. "He knew what strings to pull, especially considering your past with the Shi'ar," she said softly. "That doesn't make it your choice. That's just what he dressed it up as: a Kree-Shi'ar competition."

"I should've fought him harder. I was a good little soldier for him, reporting on the others…"

"Do I need to sing Celine Dion again about the coulda woulda shoulda?" Krissy teased lightly. "Because I will."

"Krissy-"

"No, seriously." Krissy pulled back and ducked her head down to catch his gaze. "Did you go marching up to him to volunteer? Be honest. Because I'm pretty sure Charlie said James had to stab you just to get you there."

Sying shook his head lightly. "No-"

"Mama told me about your dad," Krissy continued, not breaking his gaze. "She said he was engineered to be the perfect weapon. And you've got a lot of that in you, too." She brushed back his hair gently. "So if you want to blame someone, blame the people who did that. Blame Apocalypse. But stop blaming yourself."

"I still did it, Krissy. All of it. I _enjoyed_ tearing apart those weapons facilities and-"

Krissy pulled Sying into a long kiss that wasn't polite in the least as she snuck her hands up his shirt and kept right on going until she had hooked her knees around his hips and was on top of him, still kissing the sense right out of him. By the time she let him even really get his breath, he was smiling despite himself with his hands caught in her hair.

"You are the sweetest man in the universe," Krissy told him. "And that's why I married you. So stop listening to someone else's _lies_ and _spoil your pregnant wife._ "

* * *

Rachel and Bobby's kids had been asleep for a long while after having had their fill of Annie's spoiling, but Rachel was still awake — and therefore, so was Bobby. She hadn't really had the time to come out of the settling depression since James had tried to kill himself, and he was _worried_.

Especially considering the subject matter.

"So… penny for whatever thought's been floating around in there for about the past half an hour," he said when she was still quietly awake and lost.

Rachel was too tired to figure out what he was getting at, and besides, she had her mother's tendency to jump into other people's minds to get to the heart of any conversation. When she saw that, from his point of view, she was adrift from him, she sighed and let her shoulders drop before she moved back to lean against him. "I'm tired, Bobby."

"I think everyone is," he pointed out, though he rearranged himself so she'd be more comfortable. "But, ah, you're not sleeping. So that kind of doesn't work here."

Rachel blew out her breath and turned to face him. "What do you want me to say?" she pointed out. "I nearly burned him to death, destroyed his mind, and I'm supposed to be surprised that he doesn't want to live with that?"

"Hey, you remember that was the Phoenix, right?"

"Not _all of it was_ ," Rachel argued.

"Pretty sure you don't burn people alive, Rach. That's a Phoenix issue, and you know it."

"Bobby…"

"I'm not wrong. I mean, tell me I'm not wrong. I didn't marry a secret murderous rage monster, right?" he asked, trying to get a smile out of her.

"Judging by the teenager that just tried to kill himself because of what I did to him? Yes, it seems like you did, because he wasn't like that before."

Bobby shook his head. "You're still forgetting that the _Phoenix_ did that. _You_ have been trying to help everyone. All of the Horsemen, James included."

"You didn't … you can't possibly ... "

"Hey, I know you," Bobby said. "You've always had a tight lid. I mean, I've seen the Phoenix come out to play, but you usually rein it in. Can't get mad at yourself when the one time you lose control, it was because of _Apocalypse_. He's a whole other level of bad."

"It _wasn't_ Apocalypse."

Bobby frowned. "O...kay. I think I'm missing something here."

Rachel nuzzled deeper into his neck. "I thought he was going to kill you," she explained.

"Oh," Bobby said softly. Then, when it really sank in: " _Oh_."

Rachel smirked when she could sense the surprise radiating off of him. "After all this time, is it really so hard to believe that I don't want to live in a world without you?"

Bobby was slowly transitioning to a more crooked smile. "Dramatic Summers."

"Not really," she said quietly. "He _would have_ killed you. He absolutely would have."

Bobby sighed and pulled his arm tighter around her shoulders. "Gonna take more than Wolverine's kid to knock me out of the game, Rach."

"Good," she said and pulled her arms around his waist, content to drink in his presence for a long time.

* * *

Chloe felt so _dumb_.

She didn't want to draw attention away from the former horsemen and the ones who were recovering from the _terrible_ things they've been through, because by comparison, her own guilt felt so… small.

But she had been carrying around this horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach for a while now, and couldn't seem to get rid of it. She just… couldn't believe she had _forgotten_ that Sinister was working with Apocalypse! She had been with Sinister just _days_ before Apocalypse started his rampage, and yet, somehow, she hadn't warned anyone.

Yes, her memories had been wiped, but she had still managed to retain some vague recollections. Why couldn't she have remembered something _that_ important?

Every time she thought about Cody, the sick feeling only got worse, too. What if the reason the Marauders had been willing to kill Cody was that Sinister had moved on in interest from Cody to Chloe? She'd been gone for a long time, after all, and she didn't remember any of it. And she had a feeling that Sinister would have tried harder to protect Cody if she didn't think Chloe was a better target or something.

She couldn't sink this nagging sensation in the back of her mind that kept telling her it was _her_ fault. That Cody was gone and she could have _stopped_ it.

But who was she supposed to talk to about something like that? Charlie was despondent these days and barely functioning by keeping her powers turned off and keeping to herself. Chance was doing his best to rally in order to support Elin, but both Elin and Chance had clearly been devastated having been the ones to find Cody. She didn't think they were going to shake it. And Annie was focused on Scott — as she should have been.

There wasn't _room_ for Chloe. So she wound up hiding in her room, absently putting together the one thousand-piece puzzles that Cody had once had hanging in his room. The mansion had been compromised, and they'd been living in temporary homes for so long that so much had changed and had to be renovated when they got back. She didn't like that Cody didn't have a spot anymore.

Besides, for some reason, the simple act of putting those puzzles together for Cody helped Chloe feel a little bit less like she _owed_ him.

She had been separating edge pieces from the rest of the pieces in the box when she heard a bamf sound and looked up to see Kaleb making his way over. He and his family had been more somber than usual as well, even with Krissy's good news. They'd lost a bamf, after all. And so his tail wasn't moving with nearly the same energy it usually had.

"I thought I might find you here. You weren't helping to rebuild the gardens," he said.

"Pull up a chair," Chloe said, gesturing with one hand.

Kaleb nodded, working in silence next to her for a long time before he finally ventured, "So, what's got you tweaked?"

"Kaleb…"

"It's not just Cody or you wouldn't be isolating," Kaleb explained. When Chloe glanced up, he smiled lightly. "Hey, I know I want to be like Dad, but don't discount the Hawkeye in me, either. I know you, Chloe. You don't hide if what you're facing is a shared stress or grief. You hide when you think you can keep it to yourself to save others the same pain."

"You make me sound like some poetic hero," Chloe teased.

"You are," Kaleb said, bumping shoulders with Chloe with an easy smile. When she didn't return it, though, he dipped his head to catch her gaze. "Seriously, what's up?"

"I'm fine, Kaleb."

"You're not."

"I'm _fine_."

Kaleb threw up both hands in a defensive gesture. "Woah, first of all, I'm not here for an interrogation. I'm here because you can't possibly be fine. _No one_ is fine. But your 'not fine' is different, and I'm trying to help, because my 'not fine' gets easier to deal with when I help. Make sense?"

Chloe frowned at him for a long time before she sighed out a breath and shook her head. "It's dumb anyway."

"Try me."

Chloe nearly bit back with a caustic remark, but when she looked up at Kaleb, he looked so _open_ that she couldn't help but sigh, shake her head, and lean back and away from the puzzle. "I should have known it was coming, Kaleb. I spent two _weeks_ with Sinister, and I didn't even have an inkling of what I should warn people about."

Chloe fully expected Kaleb to tell her that she was overreacting, that she couldn't have known what Sinister had taken from her, that it wasn't her fault, or any of the other things that she had been trying to tell herself over and over again.

Instead, Kaleb darted forward and wrapped Chloe in the warmest, tightest hug she had ever gotten from him. He didn't say anything; he just hugged her until she went from simply hugging him back to leaning into him to stay upright.

And honestly, that was exactly what she'd needed.


	2. Crash Crash Dammit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things (and people) are crashing hard.

Logan had just finished cleaning up the mess in the lab and spending time with James. Frustratingly, the boy was still being incredibly hard to talk to, though at least he was finally starting to answer his parents in "yes" and "no" on occasion. But most of that was only because if he didn't answer, Logan in particular would take the path that he knew the kid didn't want.

But it was at least acknowledgement that he knew what was happening around him. Even if the entire experience was completely draining.

When Logan wasn't with James or John or the girls, he was trying to get time in with his wife, though that was a little harder, since Lily was making every attempt to monopolize K's time when Logan was around. The little blonde was still watching him like a hawk with a concentrated gaze that was years beyond what a child her age should have been capable of, but he was doing his best to wait her out too.

Even that was starting to work faster than dealing with his own son.

He'd decided that he was going to try and grab a minute with K to recenter himself and then head out to the garage and kill a couple bottles of whiskey when he heard a commotion coming from the dance room.

" _Dammit_!"

Logan stopped in his tracks and tipped his head back as far as it would go as he let his whole body relax with a sigh. This … was not his day. He tipped his chin to his chest and turned to head over and see what exactly it was that Scott was swearing at — and why the fool was in the dance room to start with.

Of course, he wasn't entirely surprised to see Scott in a heap, trying hard to get to his feet and using the barre to try and pull himself up. Logan drew in a breath, nodded to himself once, and simply crossed the room to give Scott a hand up, putting his arm around Scott's back to keep him upright on his bad side before he wordlessly helped him over to his chair and got him safely seated.

But instead of chewing into him like he normally would, Logan took the handful of steps over to the wall, leaned against it, and slid to the floor, resting his forearms on his knees.

Scott looked like he had been prepared for the chewing out, but all of the wind went out of his sails when he saw how Logan was reacting. He was quiet for a long moment, watching Logan, before he very slowly said, "Logan…"

"Go ahead. I'll just be here if it happens again." He wasn't looking toward Scott at all, and he wasn't even considering any other option at the moment.

"What happened," Scott said after a long pause.

Logan opened his mouth, closed it, then took to staring at his hands. When he spoke, _none_ of his usual presence was in his voice. "Not sure what you know and what you don't."

Scott leaned back. "As far as I know, it's more of the same. It's wearing," he said, still watching Logan.

"Never gets any better, either." Logan closed his eyes and tipped his head back, as always, not bothering to hide how emotional he was, though it took a while for him to give Scott a _direction_ to attach his distress to. "I got no place telling that boy anything."

Scott frowned at that as the understanding hit him, and he let out his breath and swore with the exhale. "I'm sorry, Logan."

"The hell for? Not your fault."

"Not yours either."

Logan let out a hollow laugh. "Kid's more like me than I thought."

"Yeah, and so are mine," Scott pointed out. "And if it had been one of mine in that situation, it would be the same thing."

"Yours didn't just try to kill themselves."

Scott stared at him for a moment in shock. He knew James had been having a rough time, but this... "Logan, I'm sorry."

"Tyler was close. Got him patched up. Tied him tight. It's not gonna get any better, though."

"No, not for a long time," Scott agreed. "I remember."

"He's smart enough to make it stick next time," Logan said quietly.

"Tyler's smart enough to keep up with him," Scott insisted. "And none of us is going to give up on him either."

Logan nodded and kept his gaze on his hands, though Scott could easily see the doubt that had always haunted Logan creeping up again — that same doubt that had for _years_ had Logan convinced that he was cursed.

Scott let out a breath before he simply got to his feet and shakily took a few steps to sit down beside Logan. "I'm sorry."

Logan didn't acknowledge him, but the two of them were silent for some time before Scott pulled himself up, making it the few steps back to his chair before he sat down again and nodded to himself. He glanced Logan's way once more before he simply left, rolling down the hall and into the lab.

Like Logan had said, James was tied down tightly. And while there wasn't any blood anymore, Scott could still smell the antiseptic.

He made his way over to James and frowned at him for a good long time before he shook his head. "You didn't listen to me," he said in a sharp tone. "I told you that you needed to _think_. Use that brain of yours. And this is what you do instead?" The longer he talked, the more energy he had. "You're going to kill your father. You will take him _with_ you. He thinks this is his fault." Scott shook his head as he gained steam. "You don't think I get it? Hell, I _was_ Apocalypse for a while. I remember every single person that died because of it. But you don't make it better by leaving. That's too easy. And it does more damage to people who already got hit hard." He frowned harder. " _You're going to take him with you_. You're going to drag down your sisters and your mother. And you _don't_ get to leave just because it's hard. You make it right."

James pointedly looked down and refused to meet Scott's gaze, remaining silent.

Scott glared at him. "You're so caught up in one idea that you can't admit it, can you? You're so convinced you've got it figured out that nothing will make it into your head that doesn't fit your _easy solution_." He narrowed his eyes at James as he leaned forward. "You're supposed to be a genius, but you have a father who _was Death_ and a godfather who was Apocalypse himself and both of them are telling you you've got it wrong. But no, you have it all figured out, don't you? It's easy, so it must be right." Scott let out a scoffing noise. "I know that's not what your father taught you. I know that for a fact. But sure, you've got it figured out. And the rest of us will have to deal with the consequences. I'm sure you won't drag _anyone else_ down with a third funeral in a matter of months. Four for Kurt when you add in the fact that he buried a bamf. That won't break his heart at all, I'm _sure_."

"Here the thing," Scott said, raising his voice a little. "What you're thinking, right now? All it does is give _you_ an out. It leaves the rest of us picking up the pieces. And if you're so determined to blame yourself, then let me clue you in. You do something wrong, you make it right. So even if you had done everything you're blaming yourself for, you don't get to take the easy way out. But I've been where you are. And whatever lies he told you, _none_ of what happened was you. That's the whole point of what he does: he gets in your head and convinces you that you're his, that you're like him. And none of it's true." Scott let his shoulders drop slightly. "If you let him have your mind, if you let him win, then he's just going to take one more person that I love from me."

"I can't fix it," James almost breathed out, every word broken by the tremble in his voice.

Scott nodded quietly and reached over to put his hand on James's arm. "I know," he said in a softer tone. "I'm not asking you to fix everything _Apocalypse_ did. I'm just asking you not to leave. I'm asking you to fix _that_ mistake. I'm asking you not to hurt anyone here. Please."

James again, didn't answer, still a bit too far in his head to really be rational about any of it. Especially when he _couldn't_ feel anything but the guilt and the responsibility of it. No matter how Scott framed it, he knew it wasn't a _contest_ on who had things worse. He just knew that since he'd caused _so much hurt_ , he had no right to have anyone's sympathy, and in his head, the best thing he _could do_ to keep them from having more horrible things come to them … was to no longer be a factor.

Scott let out a breath and simply gave James's arm a little squeeze. "I hope you know I love you James. You're my godson," he said at last before he patted James' shoulder and headed out.

* * *

Charlie had been keeping her powers off for a long time now, because everyone had been so overwhelmingly upset and scared and hurt that it _hurt_ to listen to all of it.

But on the other hand, she knew how to control her powers; Remy had helped her hone it down so that she could listen to just one person at a time if she wanted to. So every once in a while, when she wanted to check on someone, she would open herself up _just enough_ to hear that one person's song.

She'd heard her parents' mournful songs, her brother's tonal shift from shock into guilt into survival — survival on _anyone_ always sounded like a frantic crescendo of strings, somehow, never resolving, always building. She'd cheated and skimmed some of Krissy's happiness when she caught Krissy and Sying talking about their baby on the way. But she hadn't listened in on any of the Horsemen yet.

She paused outside the door to the lab. She knew that Rachel and the others had been rebuilding James' mind. She knew his song would be changed. She knew it was probably a bad idea to open herself up to whatever he was feeling, because he didn't even have Sying's silver lining of being an expecting father.

But … but she was worried about him. And she loved him. He was one of the best friends she had in the world, and she couldn't imagine her life without him. She could barely manage to wrap her mind around Vanessa being gone. Losing both of them…

Well… she needed to know where he was — emotionally and physically. And after not being able to find him, she thought, just maybe, she needed to hear his new song so she could find it again if he ran off. She couldn't stop him from doing anything worse than that, but she could find him as long as he was alive.

It wasn't much, but that was what she could do.

So, she set her shoulders and stepped into the lab, disappointed to see James tied down and nearly bowled over when she tentatively peeked into his mind to find that his song had been completely replaced with something like a funeral dirge. The only recognizable part was that the melody of the dirge was like the countermelody that had played in his original song.

As Charlie watched, Hank came in for another blood draw, and James didn't do anything one way or another to help or hinder matters, not responsive to anything Hank said, even when it was pure encouragement. And though James hadn't looked up, Hank had spotted her all the same.

Charlie waved with the tips of her fingers. "Can I… I don't want to be in the way…"

"Please," Hank said. "You'd be a help, never a hinderance." He held up the vial of blood. "I need to run these anyhow — and he could use a new face, I'm sure." Hank made his way over but stopped to meet her at the door. "Are _you_ alright today, Charlie?"

She shook her head lightly. "Not really," she said. "But that's pretty typical right now."

"Though that is the case across the board, I do not want you borrowing too much of _anyone's_ mood right now if it's not positive."

"I'll be okay," she promised, giving his arm a squeeze. "I'm keeping my powers off most of the time anyway. I just…" She glanced toward James. "I wanted to check on him. Hear what he sounds like now so… so I can help. If I can."

"Charlie …" Hank's tone was somber.

"I know," she said quietly. "I won't linger in it. That's… that's a dangerous mood." She tapped her heart. "I just wanted to listen. I'm already shut off again, I promise."

Hank looked conflicted. On one hand, he didn't think they could deal with Charlie if she "caught" James' mood too thoroughly. On the other hand, he knew it would be another blow if he simply sent her away, and James wasn't up to many more of those. So after a moment to consider it, he decided to try and give her a clue as to how much _he_ knew. "Just be gentle. I know you would anyhow, but …"

Charlie nodded quickly. "Don't worry," she said, already slipping past him to where James was tied down. She was too worn down to give him anything even approaching a warm smile, but she did reach out to take his hand, at least. "Hey, stranger," she said quietly. "No offense, but you look terrible."

James glanced up at her, but he didn't have a response more than to look like he was struggling to _find_ a response before he gave up and let his focus return to his knees.

"I tried to look for you, you know," Charlie told him. "I went and got Amy and tried to find you, but all the Horsemen's songs got blotted out. All four of you, just gone… and… and it's really nice to hear your song again, no matter how different it is."

This time, James purposely didn't turn her way, though he shook his head almost imperceptibly. He _wanted_ to tell her to let it go, and that it was a waste of time from the start to even _try_ — or that he didn't _want_ his song anymore — but as the words tried to bubble up, the lump in his throat felt too tight to let him speak, and he was honestly all cried out to the point he didn't have the impulse to even _weep_ anymore over what was lost and what he'd done. And he didn't want to argue it with her. Hank was right: he didn't have it in him to listen to someone argue or yell or … anything, really.

Charlie nodded, though she still had her hand on his, her fingers curled around his palm. "I know," she said quietly. "But… when you decide to think about conversation again, I miss my friend. So… so come find me, please, when you are a little more okay."

At that, James closed his eyes, and he pressed his lips together tightly, _trying_ not to say something that would hurt her. But he had no idea how to _not_ do that at this point.

Charlie sighed and got up to leave, then stopped when the door opened and she saw _both_ of her older siblings there. "Nate?"

"Charlie," Nate said from the door. "I can't say that I expected to find you here." He pulled on Rachel's arm. "Did you think she'd be here, Rachel?"

Rachel tugged but didn't get her arm back as Nate pulled her into the lab. "Wasn't planning on finding out one way or another. Let go."

"Not happening," Nate said in a low tone. "You had nothing to do with what happened before, and at this point you actually _cannot_ hurt anything."

Charlie looked between the two of them and then smiled Nate's way. "It's exhausting being the oldest, right?" she teased. "I do it full-time when you're not around."

"Yours are more open-minded," Nate said.

"We'll see," Charlie replied, while Rachel was shaking her head at both of them.

 _How's he reacting for you_? Nate asked Charlie.

 _Not at all,_ Charlie replied. _Not that I'm surprised. His song is a death march._

 _That is what he's still angling for,_ he admitted, seeing no reason to hide it when she already _knew_.

Charlie sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. _I know._

_Hank is dragging his feet on forcing him into taking the meds and eating, but he can't keep fighting him on that for long._

_Then we have to keep Mom away from here, because she'll hate to see that._

_I doubt she's considering coming this way right now,_ Nate said. _She has enough on her plate to deal with._

Charlie nodded. _Yeah. I miss Cody. I… I'm really hoping I don't have to lose anyone else._

 _That's why we're here,_ Nate promised. _To try and help._

_Well, that's why I'm here too. So if I can help you…_

_Sure. Tell our sister that it's not her fault._ Nate smirked. _She won't listen to reason. Must be some random family trait from who knows where._

 _Oh yeah, totally not prevalent anywhere else,_ Charlie teased, then switched to project to Rachel instead. _Hey, you can stop feeling guilty. There's way too much of that going around right now, and you don't need to beat yourself up over what the Phoenix did._

 _It wasn't all the Phoenix,_ Rachel said in the same even meter she'd been using when anyone else would tell her the same thing. It was more or less a rote response at this point. _I_ am _responsible for what I did._

 _Yeah, but you're not responsible for James even if I accept that,_ Charlie said. _Because there's just enough mourning under the numbness that I know what's what in his song. And he kept the melody that played around Vanessa._

 _So that's all that's left of_ our _James now,_ Rachel said, looking distraught as she considered how upset she'd been at the _thought_ of losing Bobby. And she knew how deeply in love James was with Vanessa. That _couldn't_ be all that was left, or James was right and there wasn't anything left to salvage of who they knew before.

 _No,_ Charlie said, shaking her head, her eyes wide. _Rachel, no. It's… I'm not explaining it right. It's… it's shock. Emotional shock. And numbness. And I've heard it before._ She tipped her head up with an expression so much like her mother, it would have made Rachel smirk at any other time. _He_ will _get better._

Nate gestured toward Charlie, though his gaze was on Rachel. _She's not wrong._

 _You better be right about this,_ Rachel said to Nate.

_I am._

_You better double check to be sure, then,_ Rachel insisted. _I_ can't.

 _You know our family,_ Charlie teased. _We don't believe anything until it's quintuple-checked._

 _Fair point, but I still want him to do it because if James_ can't _come back, I'm absolutely going to have to tell Logan that_ Nate said _it would be okay._ Rachel crossed her arms as she watched Nate. _Yes, I will throw you under that bus so hard and so fast._

 _Well, now I'm invested,_ Charlie said, smirking as she leaned against the wall — which in itself was a good thing, because she was so rarely in a _truly_ teasing mood.

 _Invested in what Nate has to do, or invested in what there is to find?_ Rachel asked. _Quentin is still building trouble for people poking around that shouldn't. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if he had something special for Nate._

 _Invested in seeing our big brother thrown under the bus on the off chance he_ is _wrong. Because that would be the only good thing in that circumstance._

 _Nothing about that would be good,_ Nate argued, missing the point entirely. _And there are only a few ways this_ can _go at this point. I'd tell you to ask Billy, but …_

 _Nate, you're a dork,_ Charlie said, smirking hard. _We're teasing you._

 _Not really the time for that,_ Nate grumbled.

Charlie rolled her eyes but slipped over all the same to yank on his arm until he bent down for her to kiss his cheek. _Love you, you dork,_ she said before she turned Rachel's way. _But for the record, I don't need to ask Billy. Chance told me what happened after that car crash. He_ saw _your mom and Vanessa. And Vanessa wasn't worried about James; she was pushing my brother back here. If we were gonna lose James, she'd have sent him back with a warning. Or your mom would have._

 _I hope you're right_ , Rachel replied.

* * *

Leslie Ann was in Chicago with her family. She had never lived there before, but she didn't want to stay with the X-Men or the Avengers, all things considered.

She didn't actually want to stay with anyone. She would have been perfectly fine if they had just… left her.

She didn't want to be around people. She especially didn't want people touching her, because she still felt that same sort of hunger in the back of her throat, that moment where she could feel herself going to drain the life out of someone, usually her _own parents_.

And then that would almost always lead to the floodgates of other people. So many of them terrified. She didn't know if Apocalypse had done that on purpose, if he _wanted_ her to have that many people's dying gasps rattling around in her brain, but that was what he'd done. Maybe he wanted her to still feel empty even if she got free, because now she felt more alone than she ever had before, lost in a sea of other people's ghosts.

That was all her fault. The thousands and thousands of people that she had killed.

"Hey, baby girl," Anton said as he came to sit down next to her, resting his hand on her back. She had stopped flinching away at every contact; Hope had told her that she needed to try to get herself used to it again. "You alright?"

"I'm alright, Dad," she said. It was the same response she'd given him every day since they came home, but he always asked.

"Brought you something," Anton said with a light smile before he set down an orchid in a pot on the table beside her bed.

There was a note with it as well, and Leslie Ann raised her eyebrows before she tore it open.

_A reminder that you can give life, not just take it. I expect to see my garden well-cared-for once you're back in Westchester. -Storm_

Leslie Ann stared at the note for a long moment before she pulled it close to her chest and kept it there. She _knew_ that Storm had other things on her mind. Her own daughter had been one of the Horsemen, and Leslie Ann knew that Amadi was drowning in the same kind of guilt that she was: the guilt of killing thousands of people. No one would let her watch the news, but she remembered the natural disasters and knew that the death toll was higher than she could live with.

She finally put the card down and looked toward the orchid. It was rare, and it wasn't really made to live in a pot. Already, she could see it wilting.

Carefully, gently, Leslie Ann reached out with her powers. They felt harder to access, and she definitely didn't think that she could upend trees or break wood or anything like that — she was too worn down. But a single flower…

She let the very tips of her fingers trail over one of the leaves, watching carefully, concentrating hard on giving the plant that little nudge that it needed. And slowly, it started to perk up, getting back some of its vibrancy.

She couldn't help but smile to herself and almost didn't even notice when Anton put his hand on her shoulder and gently rubbed her back.

"That's my girl."


	3. Mourning in Westchester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which loss and guilt is heavy in the air.

Logan had been spending more time with James than anyone, except maybe K, even though the young man simply wasn't going to even so much as _look_ at his father. The guilt in that room was so thick, it was a miracle either one of them could breathe.

But after a long stretch, and when it was plainly clear that James was trying his best to avoid his father even tied to his bed, Logan decided enough was enough. James almost cringed back, expecting Logan to snarl at him like Tyler and even Scott had done, so he was surprised when Logan got up and simply took a seat on the edge of his bed facing him so that their discussion could be quiet and private.

"I know where your head is, son," Logan started so whisper quiet, James had to strain his ears to hear him. "I've been there enough times. And I wasted _years_ hating myself for things that weren't mine to control." James watched his father as he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, obviously trying to keep his tone even and not panic. "You're _better_ than that. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Don't … don't go looking for what's on the other side of that curtain. It's not what you think. And that little moment — when you decide and the whole world stills — you can't stay there. It's not … that's just the breath before it all crashes on you."

For a long moment, James just stared up at his father, almost wide-eyed, until Logan met his gaze. "It gets harder to find. That stillness. And it won't last as long every time you try. Let it go. Don't go looking again. Be better than I could."

Logan and James sat there for a long while before James let out a breath and looked down, still not quite agreeing to anything anyone said. He missed it then, when Logan realized that it just wasn't over. And there wasn't a thing he could say — or do — to show him it was the worst kind of idea. Which left him wondering how long he had left with the kid — and absolutely spiraling right alongside James faster than the boy could have imagined possible.

* * *

When Teddy heard what was going on with James, it brought back all kinds of bad memories.

He and Billy had been right around James' age when Teddy had nearly lost his boyfriend to the same kind of darkness James was sitting in. Just _remembering_ how close Billy had come hurt.

So yeah, he made his way down to the lab pretty quickly, making sure Lily was with Billy, Sammy, and Harry so that Billy wasn't alone in the meantime. Because Billy was _also_ having a hard time, and Teddy wasn't taking any chances.

When he got to the lab, Kate was sitting with James, her feet kicked up and her head laid back on James' shoulder so that she was perpendicular to him as she told him about the latest hijinks going on. She looked like she was reading texts from America, so there were interdimensional hijinks, too; she must have figured the newness might help.

James was doing his best to tune her out, though when she would get insistent on a point — or on showing him one of America's selfies in space — he would almost grunt out a non-committal response just so she knew he wasn't entirely ignoring her.

Teddy sighed, shook his head, and came over to put his hand on Kate's shoulder. "Hey, pretty sure Krissy threw up. So… I was coming to spell you anyway, but that's a thing you need to know."

"Aww, pregnancy sucks," Kate said, making a face. "Where's Sying?"

"Cleaning it up."

"Well, good. Knew I liked him." Kate got to her feet and then squeezed Teddy's arm. "How's Billy?"

Teddy gave her a tight smile. "In this reality, at least."

Kate let out a long breath and pulled Teddy into a hug. "I'll get him next," she promised, then kissed his cheek and headed out.

Teddy waited until the door had closed behind Kate before he pulled up a chair close to James and sat down, leaning forward and watching James in silence as he weighed out his words. Finally, he landed on: "I don't think I ever told you this, because I hoped none of our kids would ever have a reason to relate. But … I had to stop Billy. When we were kids. So I know that look."

James turned toward him with an appraising frown, watching Teddy for a long moment. It didn't take long for him to see that Teddy was waiting for him to focus on him properly. "What?" James' voice was barely over a whisper, clearly from misuse more than anything else.

"He'd have been dead if it had been a second or two later," Teddy said. He tried to keep his voice even, but he couldn't. "I know — _I know_ — how much it hurts. And watching him try to stay in his right mind, I can't…" He trailed off, cleared his throat, and tried again. "James, I still think about that moment. Decades later. It'll never leave me. And if I'd _found_ him… God."

James held his gaze for a long moment but shifted and went back to looking at his knees when it was too much for him to process.

Teddy sighed and put his hand on James' arm. "Just… so you know. It's totally valid, what you're feeling. It took me a long time to get it, and a long time for Billy to explain it in a way I'd get it. But just… just because you're hurting and it's so overwhelming…" He sighed. "I'm not saying this right. I just wanted to tell you you're not the only one who's been down that hole. And if you need someone to tell you every single reason …" He let out a huffing sound. "Aww, screw it." He looked around the lab and then cheated just a little to morph so he fit better beside James so he could wrap him up even with the restraints. "Please stay here, okay?" he said at last, sounding very much like the scared kid he'd once been when he'd found Billy.

James was once again to a point beyond being able to speak properly, as he so often was lately. He didn't want to _lie_ to him and say he'd stay when he still had no intention of doing so. He might hate himself, but he really didn't want to _hurt anyone else_. But he also didn't know how to respond to Teddy for all of that, and he was afraid that any response he'd give would only raise more alarms. So about the only thing he _could_ do was to curl into him a little tighter, for as much as he was able, and try not to fall apart _again_. It didn't do him any good, and no one knew what to do with him when he was that upset, either.

But Teddy had given him something to think about. He didn't like it, but it was sitting there, daring him to look deeper at the possibility of life after such a series of crushing blows.

* * *

Annie had been doing an admirable job of keeping herself busy. She'd been cooking and baking up a storm trying to keep everyone fed, especially the healers. And on top of that, she'd been keeping everyone in sweets. Especially Lily.

Her mother had always said that there was something about pounding a dough into submission that could heal any ache in your heart, and Annie agreed.

For the most part.

That particular morning, however, Annie woke up to find that she just didn't have anything in her. She had been pounding every type of dough imaginable into the ground, and still, she couldn't keep her thoughts away from the hole in her heart that cooking _wasn't fixing_.

Not that she had expected it to. Not _really_.

Still, she'd thought she had been coping well. Compared to some of the other members of their family, she was in excellent shape with her own mental health. She wasn't the mess Charlie was, she wasn't blaming herself like Chloe was, she wasn't the god-awful ball of stress Scott was. If anything, she was most like her oldest son at the moment; Chance was also holding himself together with strings by taking care of his family. He had learned that from her, and she was proud of him. She was. Especially when she knew he wasn't sleeping well. She couldn't imagine the kinds of dreams he was probably having, dreams about finding his own brother in a pool of blood….

She closed her eyes and turned into her pillow. She hadn't even been the one to find him, and she still couldn't get the image of him out of her head. Chance had found him, Scott had seen him lying in Noh's ship, but Annie had seen him cleaned up after Hank attended him. She wasn't having nightmares of memories; she couldn't stop thinking about what it might have looked like.

More than that, she couldn't stop thinking about how lonely he must have felt. She hadn't been there with him, and he had died in the middle of a sea of sand, fighting the Marauders who had plagued him his whole life.

She'd asked Hank to be honest with her about how he'd died. If it… if it would have been fast. Or if he'd died hurting and scared.

It hadn't been a drawn-out process, but Hank said it hadn't been instant either. He tried to reassure her that Cody had probably been unconscious quickly, but that still left Annie with the lingering feeling that her son might have — must have — wanted his mom at the end.

She couldn't get that image out of her head. Her son in his uniform, covered in sand and blood, hurting and _alone_ and…

And…

And it wasn't _fair_. Her family had already suffered so much, hadn't it? Her niece was barely functioning and on some days didn't want to put in the work to stay alive anymore. Both of her daughters were emotional wrecks. Her husband was a hair's breadth away from another heart attack — and Annie was half convinced that Leslie Ann or James would be the cause. And Chance was carrying the weight of what he'd seen on top of the weight crushing his wife and her family. And that was only in the aftermath of Apocalypse!

What about the rest of it? All the times her family had been kidnapped, tortured, threatened, torn down… Her _surviving_ son had a mark on his face proving what people thought of him. Her youngest daughter had spent weeks serving Sinister just before Apocalypse. Scott, though he wouldn't admit it, _still_ had nightmares about everything he'd lived through, and those only seemed to be getting worse since Apocalypse showed up.

Scott was already downstairs, so Annie didn't have anyone to break her out of her thoughts. Instead, she simply tucked herself into the covers and cried.

She cried until her eyes were puffy, and every time she thought she might stop, some new memory of Cody came to mind, and she found herself crying all over again. She kept going back in her mind to the moment she first held him, to the way he had followed his older siblings around on wobbly toddler legs, to the pure joy on his face the first time K had taken him shooting.

She missed him. She missed her son.

Finally, she managed to pull herself together enough to _consider_ breakfast. When she saw what time it was, she knew it was well past time for a big breakfast with all the bells and whistles; everybody else had probably eaten. Maybe some biscuits or French toast.

She went to the bathroom and threw some water on her face, examining her reflection for some time before she finally decided appearances didn't matter. Everyone there was stretched to their limit; no one was going to look twice at another teary face.

So, once she was dressed and ready, she headed down the hall, practically holding her breath every time she passed someone, trying not to draw attention to herself. Everyone was hurting in their own way.

That only worked on the younger kids, who were too wrapped up in playing games to notice Annie wasn't her usual cheery self. It did not, however, work on telepathic stepsons, as it turned out.

Nate looked like he was headed to grab a bite to eat himself, which meant he was going the same way she was. So, since she didn't think she could avoid him, she preempted any questions about her state by starting the conversation first.

Or, at least, that was her plan.

"You look like you had a long night," she said, already thinking of what she could make for him and Hope. She so rarely got to cook for them anyway, and she really did like to spoil them when they were around. And she knew the two of them had been working overtime to address all the many, many hurts Apocalypse had left in his wake.

"Part of the job," Nate replied, though as usual, he didn't come across as entirely warm right away. "How about you? Sure you don't want to switch to something stronger than sweet tea this morning?"

She shook her head. "I'll stick to sweet tea. Lord knows if I start drinkin' in the morning, I'll turn into my Uncle Terry."

"No one will judge," he teased. "Not if it's one time."

"I'd judge myself. I heard my mama curse for the first time when he'd come in drunk," she said, smiling up at him.

"Then what can I get for you this morning?" Nate offered. "Or where can I take you?"

Annie waved a hand. "I appreciate the offer, sweetheart, but even though I know you can, I don't want to go to a time or place where my son's still alive. I'll fall apart when I come back without him." Her tone was light, but her smile was tight, the tears springing back to her eyes.

"That's not what I was offering," Nate said before he put his arm around her shoulders. "How about stepping away from the school for a few minutes?"

She glanced up at him again and couldn't help but smile and nod. "Alright," she said. "In that case, let me treat my stepson to a late breakfast at one of my favorite little hole-in-the-wall places."

"That sounds perfect," Nate agreed. "Just tell me where."

"That little place across the street from the gas station." She shrugged under his arm. "I know how that sounds, but I swear, the biscuits there are _divine_. They order their flour from Mississippi so it actually bakes right."

"If that's as far as you want to go," Nate teased as he offered her his hand, and a few moments later, he'd body slid both of them just around the corner. "Lead the way, Annie."

Annie's smile was warming up significantly as she and Nate got a small table and she ordered for them, not at all surprised that the owner stopped by to say hi, since he was from the same area as her parents and appreciated having someone around who had the same life experiences.

Once their food had arrived, though, it was just the two of them, and Annie found herself quietly thrilled with the fact that Nate seemed to like the Southern-style breakfast. Not that she'd ever known him to be picky; it was just that food was her love language, and she liked to share it. And it meant a lot to her to share it with Scott's kids, too.

"It's funny," she said at last, voicing a thought that had been tickling the back of her mind. "You look so much like Scott. It's just a shame — I was just thinking that he's starting to look like you as he gets older, not the other way around."

Nate smirked to himself, though he looked weary as he did so. "I know exactly what you mean, and there's nothing I can do about that. It would have been nice, though."

"It would have," she agreed softly. "From the stories I heard… you'd have been well-loved long before me, and well-loved once me and mine joined the family too." She paused. "Not that you aren't now. Oh, you know what I mean."

"It wasn't idyllic, but it wasn't entirely _bad_ , either," Nate replied.

"Well, I'm glad for that much," Annie said. "If I had my way, no one in our family would have a lick of trouble for the rest of eternity, the way things have gone on…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's hard not to feel like it's all a bit unfair. Seems like our family has more than our share of trouble."

"Every family in the house gets hit more than those that took a different path," Nate said.

"Oh, I know," Annie said in a sigh. "I knew what I was marrying into; I just…" She sighed again. "Can you blame me?"

"No, not at all, but for what it's worth, you're handling it better than some that were _on_ the team."

Annie shook her head. "You're sweet to say so, but I know I'm a mess. I lost my baby boy, Nate. I could barely get out of bed this morning."

"Yeah, but you got out of bed. That's a big thing."

"I know," she agreed. She took a deep breath, let it out, and then smoothed out her skirt. "And you? You never did tell me what had you looking so forlorn."

Nate smiled tightly. "All of it. Nothing in particular. This job has some nasty drawbacks."

"Don't I know it," Annie said in a sigh, then leaned forward. "I know I say it often, but I'll remind you again, because you too infrequently take me up on it. You don't have to visit only for the bad times. If you need a rest yourself…"

"Annie, I don't have the luxury of being able to do that - but I'll make an effort."

"Nate, I'm not asking you for an obligation," she said, shaking her head at him. "I"m telling you that you've got a safe place to crash. Lord knows even you need to crash, don't you?"

"Love you too, Annie."

* * *

It was obvious that there was still a lot of work to be done with the Horsemen, but at this point, it was down to their families and their own efforts. And honestly, there wasn't much more that Hope and Nate could do that couldn't be covered by someone else.

So, the two of them were set to leave, and Scott was honestly sad to see them go.

 _You know you're both welcome here anytime. It doesn't have to be an emergency,_ Scott said as he was sure to pull Hope into a hug first.

 _We would like to stay, but there are other things we have to fix,_ Nate replied, smirking to himself as he watched Hope melt into the hug.

 _Yeah, I know. The fight goes on,_ Scott said, sure to ruffle Hope's hair before he pulled Nate over too, using his arm as a lever so he could stand for a proper wrapping up. _I'm proud of you both. I hope you know that._

"Love you too, Dad."

Scott couldn't stop the smile at that as he simply hugged Nate a bit tighter for a moment and then let Nate help him back down. "Don't wait so long before you come back."

"We won't," Nate promised.

Scott nodded, then smirked Hope's way and reached over to give her another squeeze. "Hold him to that, would you?" he teased.

"Oh, don't worry, I will."

Scott grinned at that. "Good girl," he said before he let her go and watched the two time-displaced members of his family disappear in a swath of blue light.


	4. Too Little, Too Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand now there are Kree.

The mansion still wasn't totally rebuilt when, to the surprise of everyone else, a Kree ship landed close by. They had seen it coming, but it wasn't an attack formation, and there was no sign that it was aggressive — so it was simply a matter of letting them land and hear what they had to say.

With everyone still reeling from the events of Apocalypse's actions, the X-Men were sure that they didn't have the personnel or the energy to devote to whatever was going on. If it was something that _had_ to be addressed, they would send maybe a few people that could afford to spare the time, but _most_ of their heavy hitters were trying to recover in one way or another.

It was a potential problem that everyone was involved with the recovery in some way. Everyone had friends or family involved.

But to their surprise, the ship was filled with a royal guard as well as Prince E'tann, who strode to the front of the group to meet a very surprised Scott, Kate, Noh, and K who had come out to meet the group.

"What has happened here?" E'tann asked, taking in the destruction of the mansion and looking downright shocked.

"No offense, but why are you here?" K asked, clearly not in the mood to deal with pleasantries.

"I was worried," E'tann admitted, then gestured to the still-incomplete mansion. "And for good reason, it seems."

"No one called the Empire," Noh said with a small frown.

E'tann shook his head. "I was speaking with Melody often, and when the contact dropped off…" He looked toward the construction. "She is not the kind of person to simply cut things off if it was just that she no longer wanted my friendship. And now I see that I was right to be worried. So - what happened? And can I help?"

"Oh, wow," K said under her breath before she simply turned on her heel and headed back to the house. "I'll send Logan out if you want to put him into hard labor."

Scott smirked as she passed him before he looked to E'tann. "I'm not sure what you could do at this point. We're rebuilding."

"Can you at least tell me what …" E'tann gestured around them. "Please. Obviously, this was devastating to your home. I may be too late to help with your battles, but I would still like to know."

Scott glanced toward Noh, who nodded and gestured for E'tann to follow him so he could fill him in on more or less the overview of what had happened.

E'tann nodded along to everything that Noh was saying, honestly concerned by what he heard, especially regarding Sying, since he knew him. He seemed honestly upset by the time Noh was finished, simply shocked.

They had moved to the living room to talk together, the guards hanging back as the two of them spoke, and E'tann had just asked if he would be able to see Sying when there was a little squeak of surprise from the doorway, and they both looked up to see Melody in the doorway.

"I _thought_ I heard your thoughts!" Melody said, wide-eyed as she stared at E'tann.

The prince smiled when he saw her. "I got worried when I hadn't heard anything from you."

"That's really sweet," Melody said, turning pink.

"He's offered his help as well," Noh said with a small smirk.

"Oh, well, we have a lot of it covered," Melody assured him.

E'tann waved a hand. "We are supposed to be allies with the X-Men. If we expect you to aide us when we need it, you should be able to expect the same of us."

"That sounds like something you should tell Scott, not me," Melody said with a little giggle.

"And I will," E'tann said before he crossed the span to wrap her up in a hug. "But I am very glad to see that you are unharmed. I was worried."

"I'm sorry I worried you then," Melody said, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"So, are you here to help or just to try and suck my granddaughter's face off?" Logan asked from the doorway behind E'tann, arms crossed and glaring already. "Or is this just _another_ case of perfect timing once the hard part is over?"

E'tann jumped slightly in surprise and turned toward Wolverine, one hand still on Melody's back before he swallowed and dropped it. "Like I said, I came to help. I thought I might be coming to help in battle, but if there is anything I can do…"

Logan smirked and kicked himself out of the doorway. "If that's true, you can get out of that stupid get up and get your ass to work. If you can't figure out somewhere to be useful, my wife has a whole barn full of hay that needs to be stacked, and we're short-handed."

"Ah, yes, I can do that," E'tann said quickly.

Noh was smirking Logan's way for a moment before he tipped his head to E'tann. "I'll show you the way to the barn," he said. "And I'm sure your guards can find ways to help with the construction."

Logan kept his arms crossed and his gaze hard as he watched the two of them go, sure not to drop the narrowed eyes look until well after young E'tann had looked over his shoulder a few times and disappeared with Noh.

Melody was bright pink by that time. "Grandpa Wolvie…"

"Don't start," he said, almost glaring her way. "Not unless you want me to _try_ and make him squirm."

Melody shook her head quickly and held up both of her hands. "No, no," she said. "But you have to admit, it's really sweet! He came all the way here!"

He gave her a dry look. "Timing is everything, and one thing that the Kree have a tendency to do is show up late to the party. I don't buy it."

Melody frowned and shook her head. "But it's still sweet," she insisted.

"You really need to up your standards," Logan growled out.

"He came all the way from Hala!" Melody said. "Just because he was worried about me."

Logan's dry look didn't ease up in the least. "Not impressed."

Melody rolled her eyes at that. "Well, _I_ like him."

"Get to work," Logan said, pausing only long enough to point a finger her way. "Anywhere but the barn."

"You're no fun," she said, pushing out her lower lip.

"And you still pout like a five-year-old," he shot back.

Jubilee waited until Melody was well away from Logan before she projected to her. _You're not pouting are you? Because that just proves him right._

Melody stopped where she was and did a full body turn even though Jubilee wasn't there. _He's just… ugh._

_He's pointing out what you don't want to hear. Act a little more in control and he'll back off a little._

_But it_ was _sweet._

 _Mel, for the love of God, don't tell Wolvie that a boy was_ sweet. _He will kill him. Or he'll make you listen to what boys are after_ — _in excruciating detail._

_I've heard that ever since I was old enough to like boys._

_Not his version where he gets descriptive,_ Jubilee pointed out. _And it is_ very _descriptive. Don't go there. I'm still in therapy._

Melody couldn't help but giggle at that. _Okay. But just between you and me? It was very, very sweet, right?_

She could feel Jubilee's mental sigh. _Yes. But between you and me? He's right too. And if you ever even so much as think that to anyone, I will come after you._

 _Oh, believe me, I won't tell anyone,_ Melody promised. She almost skipped a step as she headed off to go find something to do. Maybe not at the barn, but close by.

* * *

Chance wanted to make sure that James had something fun to hear about when he came to visit, so when he sat by James for his turn, he was sure to let James know about the ongoing drama that was Melody and E'tann. "Your dad is trying to kill the crown prince of the Kree Empire. Just so you know."

"If he was trying to kill him, he'd be dead," James said almost automatically, though he was so quiet, Chance almost missed it.

Chance chuckled. "No, no, he's doing it slowly just to make Melody mad," he insisted.

James shook his head at that, though. "No."

Chance smirked as he leaned back in his seat. "Yeah, I know, but you should really see it, James. Prince of all of Hala, and he's been stacking hay for days."

"I'd … really rather not," James said quietly.

Chance shrugged. "Suit yourself. But I think your niece has the hots for royalty, so just … so you know. When you get out of here, you're going to have your hands full doing the protective uncle thing."

"Just gotta block the other doorway for Dad."

Chance smirked at that. "Probably accurate," he admitted. "To his credit, I mean, the guy's working hard."

James shook his head and shifted to try and get comfortable. Being restrained and stuck in one spot was starting to wear on him. A lot. "Not about him."

Chance nodded and tipped his head to the side as he watched James trying to get comfortable. He had to stop himself from getting up and adjusting the restraints, knowing how quickly things had gone south last time. "Sorry 'bout your luck, little brother," he said quietly, gesturing to the restraints. "I remember being there, and it sucks."

James flexed his hands, frowning, since Hank had warned him that the next step was a set of gloves to keep him from trying to use his claws in addition to all the other stuff they'd done to keep him from hurting himself. "Doesn't matter."

"Course it does," Chance said. "You're my brother."

"I'm sorry," James said quietly.

"About what?" Chance asked scrunching up his nose.

"Your brother."

"Oh." Chance went sort of still for a moment and closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat. As much as he pretended to be dealing better than the rest of his family, he still couldn't talk about Cody without feeling ill. Or guilty. Or both. "It wasn't your fault, you know," he said at last, even with his heart in his throat. "It was a Marauder."

James was quiet for a long moment. "If you say so."

"I was the one who found him," Chance said quietly. "I'd know. I have the nightmares to prove it."

But James just got quieter and kept his gaze down.

Chance took in a deep breath and let it out as he looked over at James. "I don't want to lose another brother," he said in as even a voice as he could manage, though he wasn't any good at keeping his calm. The truth was that he was terrified of exactly that, and he was barely holding himself together when he was sure another loss in his family was imminent — whether it was James or Leslie Ann or even his dad from the stress. And he honestly didn't think he could handle it.

James didn't reply but to nod lightly, which did nothing to ease Chance's mind. This was, for the most part, a new and terrifying look on James … the severe depression and suicidal tendencies.

For a long time, Chance let his statement hang in the air between them before he cleared his throat and nodded, trying not to veer into conversational topics that might tip him into a panic attack or push James deeper into the darkness. "Elin and I have been taking care of John a lot," he said. "I think the kid likes me. Can't leave me alone without mobbing me," he added with obvious affection in his tone.

"Typical poor judgement," James replied softly.

"Lies. I'm amazing and he knows it," Chance said with a smirk.

"Too young to know better."

"Yeah? So what's your excuse?" Chance asked with a teasing smirk. "Cause I was under the impression you liked me just fine."

"No judgement. At all."

"Nah," Chance said, waving his hand. "If that were true, someone as brilliant as Elin wouldn't've married me. You're stuck with me now." He grinned and pointed a finger at James. "Ha!"

"I think you got that backwards," James said, settling deeper in.

"Nope, because I _chose_ to marry into this family," Chance said, leaning further back. "Picked you. You're stuck with me now."

"You picked _her_ ; she just came with baggage."

"Hey, I happen to like having a big family," Chance said. "And the kid I grew up with who helped me deal with bullies is now my little brother — I mean, what more could a guy want?"

James frowned, dipping his chin to his chest as he tried to be smaller. "You're doing that thing," James said slowly.

"Look, you're going to have to be more specific, because I do a lot of things in the course of a day, and I can't possibly know what one specific thing you're referring to."

"It's almost Barton-esque," James said, frowning up at him.

"Okay, that's a hint but still not specific."

James shook his head. "You're just missing the pom-poms."

Chance let out a scoffing breath and shook his head. "Oh. You mean the thing where I try to have a little positivity? Optimism?"

"Yeah, that."

"Not gonna apologize for that. Been doing it since forever, and even more after Charlie got her powers. It _works_. And not one bit of it is a lie, either."

James looked up at him with one eye squinted partway shut, clearly not believing him at all. "Yeah. But I'm not like Charlie."

"No, you're just like your sister. I haven't lied to you, and you know it, so you just stare at me like I'm broken because I'm not spewing clouds of doom."

"I think I need to go back to sleep," James said after a few moments.

"Which is code for 'I don't know how to deal with nice things being said about me so go away please'," Chance said with his arms crossed. "I didn't marry into this family without knowing the rules."

"Then you know how uncomfortable that is," James said.

"I do," Chance said. "But I also know how much you need to hear it. And how often it needs to be said before it sinks in." He gestured widely. "So. Like I said. You're stuck with me. That's what happens when you get a big brother."

"Repeating it doesn't make it true, Chance," James said quietly. "Even if you want it to be."

"Ignoring it doesn't make it a lie." Chance raised an eyebrow. "Even if you want it to be."

"I'm not ignoring it. I'm disagreeing. There's a difference."

"Uh-huh. Sure. The going to sleep to avoid me telling you how much I care about my little brother is definitely not ignoring it. Nope."

"You're right," James said. "You deserve better."

Chance rolled his eyes at that. "And I picked you guys anyway. So you're just going to have to accept that. Because I'm not going to stop being your big brother-in-law, so… Deal with it."

James was quiet for a long time again before he simply tried for a subject change. "How's Charlie handling … everything?"

"Nate turned her powers off for her for a while," Chance admitted. "Just until after the funeral. I don't think she could have made it through that."

James swallowed hard, knowing they were drifting into dangerous territory. "Sorry I missed it."

"I'll take you to see him when you're up."

But James was already shaking his head.

"When you're ready then," Chance said.

James shook his head a little harder at that before he looked up at him. "I killed an _Avenger_."

"I heard about that," Chance said evenly.

"I don't _belong_ here."

Chance shook his head. "I know it feels like that," he said. "But honestly… my dad killed my Grandpa Charlie. Your dad's killed people before. It's not like you're the first."

"There were students too," James said a lot quieter.

"I heard about that too," Chance said. "And I'm really sorry that Apocalypse made you do that. I wish I could kill him again for making you see that." Chance let out a breath. "My cousin's still working through the thousands of people she drained."

James took a breath and held it. "I took Amadi and Sying. And it was my distraction that made it so Sinister could take Leslie Ann."

"He took your smarts and used them against us," Chance agreed.

"It was _my_ plan."

"I know." Chance rested a hand on James's arm. "But that's why Sinister wanted you. He knew if he turned you, he'd get a genius."

James shook his head. "No. Sinister wanted me for a Marauder."

Chance paused and frowned his way. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "He wanted Cody for a…"

"Apprentice."

"Yeah." Chance shook his head. "That lady is screwed up, man. I'm sorry you were on her radar for anything at all."

James had lost a lot of the emotion as he stared at his knees. He needed to _tell_ them what he knew. They deserved to know at least that much. He didn't know where to start, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, gave up — and out of nowhere, it just started to tumble out. "Sinister … she couldn't touch me once _he_ had a hold of me. Wasn't allowed."

"I bet she hated that," Chance said quietly as he watched James struggling to speak.

James narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. "We argued a lot. I backhanded her."

"Good."

James looked up at Chance, his eyes still narrowed. "He took something from her, but I don't know … or can't remember _what_ it was."

"Hey, that's good news," Chance said. "Less powerful creep coming after my family would be _great_."

But James closed his eyes for a long moment, shaking his head as he tried to remember what it was and what had happened. "Maybe one of the others would be more helpful."

"I'll ask," Chance said. "They might not know either. Leslie Ann really doesn't want to think about it."

"They were all there," James said. "They saw."

"Then I'll ask," Chance reassured him. "Have you seen Sying yet?"

"I haven't seen any of them," James said. "I don't think I should, either."

"Well, Leslie Ann's in Chicago, and Amadi's in LA, but Sying will probably come and talk your ear off, because I think they're getting set to see the gender of the baby soon. So… be ready."

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen," James said, though this time he really did look worn out and older than he should have looked as he tried and failed to find a comfortable position while still being tied down in bed.

"Knowing those two? They're going to hit literally everyone in the mansion. You're on notice."

"Sure, Chance."

Chance shook his head at that and let out a breath. When James really did actually drift off in the silence, he frowned to himself but got up to let Tyler step in and try to get some healing done while James was out.

Once Chance was out of the med lab, he put his hands in his pockets and was a lot more subdued than before. James was worn out, but honestly, so was Chance. It was hard work being the voice of optimism and being _on_ for that long — but worth it. After all, it had gotten James _talking_ to him. He knew what a big deal that was.

He was caught up thinking about everything James had said before he turned the corner, so he almost didn't notice that Logan and K were in one of the currently unused rooms, though he did a bit of a double-take when he did see them. Logan was all but buried into K's shoulder, and K was pretty much holding him upright as they were curled into a corner. Chance felt like he was intruding just seeing them there.

He slowly backed up and tried to edge down the hall as quietly as he could, his ears ringing as he headed down to where he knew his dad would be helping to direct the organization of the rest of the construction. He needed to talk to him while it was all still fresh in his mind.

* * *

E'tann was more exhausted than he had ever been after having worked in the barn and in the construction of the mansion for the past week and a half.

But on the other hand, he had also been able to see Melody in person more, and even when they were working elsewhere, she had made it a point to talk to him in his mind. It was so much more rewarding than the far-off conversations that they'd had over messaging.

But since there was really nothing pressing, nothing that was world-ending, E'tann did in fact have to go back to Hala.

Melody was honestly sad to see him go, too. She thought it was sweet that he'd come all the way out — and that he'd _helped_. Even if he was clearly tired, he did everything that Logan had given him to do.

"You should come back to Hala soon," E'tann said as the royal guards were starting to load things up.

"Because it's your turn to host?" Melody teased with a little smirk.

E'tann shrugged up to his ears. "Yes, I suppose."

Melody smirked a little wider. "Are you scared of my grandfather?"

"Your grandmother tortured my father — I think I have good reason."

"I mean, that's a good point," Melody had to admit. "He's just being protective."

"And he should be," E'tann said with a smile as he took her hand gently. "You are a very beautiful young woman, and I'm sure you've caught the eye of many of the heroes here."

"You're totally blowing smoke at me."

E'tann frowned at the phrase. "No…"

"I mean you're flattering me," she said, waving her hand.

"Maybe a little," E'tann said with a small smile. "But I would love to see you again."

"Well, we do go to Hala a lot for some official things," Melody said. "I'm sure we'll come back soon." She paused and smiled at him. "But you have to come back too, because you should see our home when it's not half-destroyed."

"I think that would be nice," E'tann said.

Melody giggled. _It's okay to admit you're still nervous._

 _But you really do want me to return here,_ E'tann pointed out. _And it's important to you._

 _You came at a really bad time,_ Melody assured him. _Everything's been falling apart lately. You should come back when things are peaceful and normal._

_Then I'll try to do that._

Melody grinned at that and leaned over to steal a kiss. "Don't forget to write," she said with a smile.

"If I do, will it convince you to come to Hala?" he teased.

"No; if we were doing a rescue mission, you'd get my grandparents," she said with an impish grin that she couldn't help at all.

"Ah." He blushed a slight purple. "Well then, I'll just keep that in mind if there is a _real_ emergency."

"And now I know how to get your attention and get you to Earth," she teased.

"Well, I simply couldn't imagine that you would drop out of contact if you decided you were through with our relationship."

"You're sweet," she said, then stole another kiss. "And it's really wonderful of you to think I'm so …"

"Good?" E'tann offered.

Melody blushed again. "You're… you're sweet."

"You've said." He smiled at her and kissed her again. "I'll see you soon."

Melody tucked her hair behind both ears and blushed deeply as she watched E'tann leave in the Kree ship.


	5. They Can't Have You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the X-Men rally around James, even if he doesn't want them to.

A few days had passed since the Kree had headed back to Hala, and James had been making a concerted effort to relay any kind of information he could about what he could remember going on while he was with Apocalypse.

It was in a staggered order and fractured, what he could remember, but it was about the only thing he could do that got his visitors to try to talk to him about anything that wasn't some repetitive way of telling him what they thought of him. That, he really couldn't stand. It was a measure of how much he just didn't want to discuss himself when forcing himself to remember things was less painful than just a friendly chat.

But even as the adults were trying to piece together what James was telling them, there were already other things lining up that were bound to cause major trouble for all four of the previous Horsemen.

When Scott received the summons, he stared at it for a long time. The International Court of Justice was bringing war crimes charges against the four Horsemen. There was a summons for all four of them, but Scott was also subpoenaed to give testimony ahead of the Hague's probe.

Scott stared down at the ICJ summons. There was absolutely no way — _no way_ — he was going to give up the kids. But he knew this wasn't going to just go away either.

So, he let out a breath and headed down to the med lab to talk to Hank.

Logan and K were with James, and the two of them weren't really trying to talk as much as they were just being sure to be there with him. K had even sat down with him on his bed and pushed him over enough so that she could lean on his shoulder and give him some kind of contact - which seemed to have James looking more relaxed than usual, even tipping his head toward his mother slightly.

"What's got you twisted, Scotty?" K called out when she saw Scott.

Scott shook his head lightly. "Just the latest international outcry," he said dryly. "Actually, I need to talk to Hank."

James looked up at Scott, frowning slightly at his expression. "Took 'em long enough."

Scott frowned James' way, but he wasn't going to lie to him either. "I'm not letting them have any of you, James. Not one."

"Why not?" James asked. "I did it. Whatever it is they're upset about - I either did it or I helped to do it.."

"That wasn't you," Scott said. "And they shouldn't punish the people who were controlled - you punish the one pulling the strings. And we _did_."

With a look that echoed Logan so much it was almost painful, James let his voice drop slightly. "Doesn't change the fact that I did it. They want to punish who did it, so why _not_ hand me over?"

"I'm not turning you over," Scott said sharply.

"Fine. You don't have to turn me over; I'll go on my own."

"You will _not_." Scott glared at him. "They can't have you."

"You can't just tell them _no_." James let out a little breath. "It's really not up to you."

"No," Logan said. "It's up to me. And I say no."

Scott gestured to Logan. "He's right. You're a minor." He shook his head. "And besides that, if you went, they'd want the other three. You wouldn't be fixing anything."

It was clear James wanted to argue the point, but he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere if all three of the adults in the room were agreeing. Even if he was convinced they were wrong.

Scott let out a breath and looked to Logan and K. "I'm leaving K in charge of the school until I get back," he said. "Shouldn't be too busy, since we don't have many students with summer coming and the school being destroyed."

K looked toward Logan. "And you can stay here with our beautiful boy while I'm making everyone learn Swedish," she said.

Scott nodded with a little smirk before he maneuvered around and went to find Hank.

"Don't say a word, my old friend; I heard the dulcet tones from all the way over here," Hank said.

Scott couldn't help but smirk at that and nodded. "Then you know I could use the backup."

"I know that I can give my medical opinion and provide proof that the boy was under the influence. I'm sure Doctor Strange would assist us if we asked nicely."

Scott nodded. "Good. Bring your notes, Hank; we've got a long trip ahead of us."

"You'll have to try flying _slow_ for a change, then," Hank replied as he began to pull out the files on all four.

"That's ridiculous; there's nothing wrong with me to keep me from flying, Hank," Scott said, waving the idea off.

"I didn't say 'don't fly'," Hank said, looking frustrated at the idea. "I simply suggested you try it at something a bit under Mach 4."

Scott gave Hank a small smirk. "That's ridiculous too."

"Rampant silliness," Hank grumbled.

…...

Kari couldn't help but smile when she came to take her turn with James - taking over for Logan not long after Scott and Hank had left to go to the Hague. James looked a lot more like himself - less pink, and with eyebrows and very short hair.

"Oh, look, I recognize you," Kari said as she sat down with her art supplies - her sketchpad and several pencils.

"Sorry 'bout your luck," he said quietly.

"No, no, it's nice to see," Kari said. "I was starting to worry I was going to have to sketch you as the hairless wonder, and that would be ridiculous."

"Might make you work harder," James pointed out.

"No, no, the hairy look makes me play with shading," Kari said. "You should grow a beard."

"At the rate I'm going, that'll never happen," he said before he let out his breath. "You don't have to do this, you know. I don't have to waste your time. They'll sedate me if I make a fuss, then everyone can just … take a break."

"I know," Kari said. "But I asked if I could be part of the rotation. And besides, you're good company while I'm sketching." She turned her pad so she could show him the sketch she'd made of Krissy and Sying curled up together. "I was going to draw something that showed the little one growing in her stomach, but wouldn't you know, my niece or nephew won't stay still long enough to see 'em?"

"That's kind of gross," James said with a scrunched up nose.

"No, no, it would be an artistic interpretation," Kari said. "It looked really good in my head, but since all we know is that there's a little tail… well, I can't really draw a niece or nephew until I know what I'm drawing."

James watched her for a long moment. "Is Sying okay? Really."

Kari let her shoulders drop a bit. "He's… it helps that he's got this little one to be excited about, but I know he's been having panic attacks," she admitted.

He nodded at that. "And the other two?"

"Amadi seems to be doing okay, but I think that's down to her dad and Remy totally spoiling her, keeping her happier, and totally cheating a little to make sure that happens," Kari admitted.

"Amadi deserves the cheat. She was too young."

Kari nodded at that. "She was," she said. She paused and pushed back her headband in her hair. "Leslie Ann is holed away in her room. She… doesn't really… she has a hard time with people. Storm sent her an orchid, though, and she's got a greenhouse out there now, which I think is helping, but I know her parents are worried about her and won't let her go anywhere alone," she said frankly.

He gestured with both hands as much as he could. "Yeah. I can imagine."

Kari smiled at him and rested her hand on his arm. "You're allowed to be a little shaken up."

"I'm not…" He let out all of his breath at once. "Do you know where Scott is headed right now?"

She shook her head lightly. "I'm not part of the team, remember?"

"Neither am I," James said. "But he's headed off to testify on our behalf. To try and convince the courts at the Hague that we're not war criminals." He let that hang in the air for a moment. "But he's wrong."

Kari stared at him for a moment before she let out a little noise and simply tossed her sketchbook aside to hug James as best she could despite the fact that he was tied down. "They can't have you," she said, hugging him tightly.

"They should. I'm not moving forward. The others are."

"You _are_ moving forward," Kari pointed out. "You wouldn't even talk to me a few weeks ago."

"I _couldn't_ talk to you," he argued.

"Even when you were awake, you wouldn't talk to me," Kari said. "Now, you will, and you've given me some good advice on my art. I think that's progress."

"I told you what you already knew," James replied.

Kari shook her head lightly. "Sometimes I need the reminder. I get caught up in the art," she said. "You always seem to see things I don't."

"I still can't be trusted," James said with a frown.

"I trust you," she said softly.

"You shouldn't. You're thinking like an artist," James deadpanned. "No logic at all."

"I know," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "But that's how I am."

"And you're amazing at it," he said quietly. "But that doesn't change things."

"No, but I wish it did," Kari said. "I wish this would just go away and you could come and help me pick out colors and catch Sying and Krissy in these moments… you could capture them so well and I wish I had pictures of them when they're wrapped up together and he's got his hand on her stomach…"

James let out a little sigh. "I … really don't want to do that."

"I wish you did. I miss it," Kari said without picking her head up. "I'll try to draw it all from memory for you."

"No, that's alright," James said. "Do it for yourself if you want it. Take my camera if it helps."

"Only until you take it back," she said. "I'm not as good as you."

"You would be with a little practice," James said, turning his head her way a little.

"I'd be almost as good," Kari said. "I'm not too proud to admit there's some art I can't do as well as other forms. I'm better with acrylics than watercolors."

He shook his head at that. "You just haven't really tried."

"You should show me how," she said. "You get these amazing shots with the light _just right_ …"

"Just practice," James promised. "That's all it is."

"Some of it," she said. She bit her lip for a moment before she snuggled in a little better - as best she could with James still tied down, taking up more or less the space K had, though she didn't know that. "I miss my best friend," she said quietly.

"Sorry 'bout that."

"It's alright. I know it's not your fault. But it's the first time I've actually _wanted_ to be on the team, when I heard what Apocalypse did to you," she admitted quietly. "I've never wanted to be an X-Man, but I… I just wanted to find you and get you back."

"I don't know what to tell you," James admitted.

"I know," she said. "Maybe you will one day."

James had been more or less derailed. He'd set out to try and tell her that he thought Scott was wrong - which he kind of did, but he was having a hard time handling the other part, letting her know that he didn't feel like he had a place there. So the only thing he could do was just lean his head against hers. And try to apologize again.

"Shush, James," she said with a little smile as she snuggled in. "You don't need to apologize to me."

"I stabbed your brother-in-law and brought him back to be turned into War. I kind of do."

"Okay, then apology accepted, and you're forgiven," Kari said without moving.

"You can't do that," he said flatly.

"Why not?" Kari picked her head up and raised an eyebrow. "Once you apologize, the person you're apologizing to has all the power when it comes to forgiveness. You don't get to decide if I forgive you or not."

"Fine. Maybe for you. But that doesn't change it for every other damn person here."

"Try it out," Kari said.

"I have. I get a lot of 'shut up'."

Kari picked her head up, narrowed her eyes, and then smirked. "If I were to apologize for, say, drawing your nose off center, what would you say?"

"Artistic preference."

"See? That's not an 'I forgive you', but you're not holding a grudge," she said philosophically.

"When did you draw my nose off center?" he challenged. "Because a hypothetical isn't the same. And if you do it now, it's out of spite."

"Well, now I almost want to do it," Kari said with a smirk. "And draw every single picture of you with your nose off-center until you can't stand it anymore and have to take drastic action like, I don't know, drawing fake mustaches on all of my self-portraits."

"I'm not that petty," he said quietly.

Kari shook her head at him. "I was being silly," she said.

"How is that different than every other day?"

"See? Best friend. Knows me better than anyone."

He held her gaze for a moment and then leaned back. "You got some crap taste, Kari."

"Artistic preference," she said with a smile.

James let her settle in before he leaned his head on hers again. "You're not going to listen to me, are you?"

"I always listen to you," she said.

"Then why do I feel like I didn't say anything, or that you didn't hear me?"

"You said plenty," she said with a smile. "You said nice things about my art, and you and I sorted out how forgiveness works…. You said plenty."

He let out a sigh. "This isn't going to go away. This UN thing."

"Probably not," Kari admitted. "But if you think I'm going to let them get my brother-in-law and my best friend - I'll - I'll go to the Hague myself!"

"That wouldn't do you any good," James said in a soft sort of rumble.

"I'd do it," she swore.

"I want to see the charges," he said. "But I'm 99% sure Scott and my parents won't let me."

"Probably not," Kari said. "But it's probably exactly what you think it is."

"Still want to see it."

Kari nodded. "Well, I can't help you there."

"Yeah," he said in a breath. "You probably know what I'm thinking, don't you?"

"Yeah." She didn't move except to give his shoulder a squeeze where she was resting her hand. "I wish you wouldn't. I know I'm not the only one who's told you that, but I hope you'll listen."

"At this point, I don't think I have a choice in it," James admitted. "Dad's stepped in."

"I'm glad to hear it, honestly," Kari said.

"I just want to take the load off of them," James said.

"I know," Kari said. "But you know they won't let you. And you know if you try, they'll just do everything they can to stop you."

"I know. The Hague wants my head."

"It kind of sounds like they want four heads," she pointed out.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But if I could explain how it happened …"

"No offense, James, but you're giving people a _lot_ more credit than you should."

"Maybe." He relaxed a little more and half snuggled into her as much as he was able. He wasn't comfortable, but already, when he shifted Kari did too, as she tried to do the same, so James decided to be still and let her cuddle in. It's not like he'd found a way to ease the sore spots from being tied to a bed for so long anyhow.

Kari let out a little sigh and simply made herself comfortable, deciding that the best thing she could do for James was just to be there and give him that positive human contact that he was so desperately missing - and though she hadn't meant to, she ended up falling asleep right there half wrapped around him.

When Kurt came in to take his turn, that was how he found them, curled up together and both asleep. He couldn't help but stop short as he looked at the two of them, instinctively raising his eyebrows at his daughter curled up with a _boy-_

But at the same time, he knew that James needed this. He needed someone who trusted him that completely, and he needed that good contact. And the fact that James had curled up with her too was a good sign - he was letting other people in.

Kurt shook his head to himself as he bent down to pick up the discarded sketchbook and pencils and put them on the table, then paused and sat down as he started to go through the sketches.

There were a lot of sketches of Kari's friends and family. Chelsea featured heavily, as did Krissy and Sying, since they had the wedding and the baby to sketch. But there were others, like Elin and Chance or Celeste and Jayce… and one that she'd laid out of Lily - all wide eyes and rosebud lips staring off the page with an intensity that matched her bloodlines.

Kurt couldn't help but pause over a beautiful sketch of Cody and Kitty that Kari had clearly drawn after the funeral. They seemed to be standing in the clouds, the mansion far below them, embracing tightly.

And there were sketches of each of the four Horsemen - though not as horsemen, necessarily. Kari drew them shedding their skins from the powers Apocalypse had given them. Amadi seemed to be stepping out of a coat of dark clouds dripping rain into the light of the sun; Leslie Ann was stepping out of a robe made of dying thorns into a growing forest; Sying had fire in his wake as he stepped into Krissy's embrace.

And James as Death was a tragic picture. She must have spent the most time on this one; the shading was complex and dark, though a close inspection showed the intimate details. Kurt could see Apocalypse himself in the shadows of the cemetery, though it was dark enough that he was almost unseen. James was kneeling beside a grave, his skeletal robe already shed, but instead of leaving it behind, he had it clasped in his hand, clutching onto it tightly as he rested his free hand on Vanessa's name.

Kurt stared at the drawing for some time, running his finger along the edge. For an instant, he felt the pride rise up in his chest for his daughter, for her heart.

But at the same time, he felt almost abashed. There had been so much focus on Apocalypse that they hadn't addressed the heartbreak that James had endured before he was taken over. It had to be weighing on him heavily and contributing to the pain he was in, especially when the girl's funeral had been so quiet and sparsely attended.

Kurt shook his head lightly to himself before he glanced up at Kari and James and, deciding that they would be alright for a while longer, took the sketchbook with him to go find K, who was curled up with Lily, as usual when she wasn't working on something.

When K saw him, she patted Lily on the back and whispered for her to go find Logan. She had gotten a lot better about Logan after seeing him resting his head on K's lap after one of the turns he'd taken with James. He hadn't looked overly … anything, and instead he had just rested as K ran her hand through his hair trying to soothe him. But Lily had warmed up to him a lot after that, so, on K's word, the little blonde took off running for Logan's office. "What's up, blueberry stud muffin?" K asked in a tired tone.

"I wanted to show you something Kari drew," Kurt said, sitting down beside her to show her the sketch that Kari had done.

K took the book when Kurt opened it to show her all four sketches, and like Kurt, when K saw the last drawing, she let out her breath and nodded. "That's accurate," she said before she glanced up at him. "He refuses to talk about it. About her."

"I haven't heard him say her name," Kurt agreed.

K was still looking at the drawing as she answered. "He won't," she said. "He's too focused on the others right now, I think."

Kurt nodded slowly. "Kari is with him now."

"Good," K said, nodding. "She doesn't give him much room to wallow."

Kurt smirked at that. "No, she doesn't," he said. He took a deep breath and let it out. "They're asleep now. I don't know how she does it, but she has him completely relaxed and curled up with her."

"He's been doing that," K said, finally looking up at him. "He does it for me too when I lean on him or rest my head on his shoulder and _hold_ him. I don't think anyone else has really tried it. You know … he hasn't really been touched outside of blood draws and a bracing very male …. Thing that you guys do. It's ridiculous."

Kurt blinked for a moment and then looked almost sheepish.

"Logan's tried to hug him, but … kind of hard to do in a bed that he's tied to. I get it," K said, trying to give him the out he so clearly needed. "But he still tries."

Kurt chuckled. "Yes, well, it will be easier when he's up."

"Hank is talking about making him keep the gloves for a while," K said. "Not that I think that would stop him if he really decided anything …" She was frowning as she said it, but it was clear there wasn't much she could do, and she knew it.

"It would be a step," Kurt said. "And he would not be alone."

"I'm not arguing that," K said. "But he doesn't even have his phone anymore. No way to talk to him if he steps away from anyone." She shook her head. "Tony's supposed to bring a new one by for him. Something special, likely. He's worried too."

"I'm sure," Kurt agreed. He leaned back and let out a sigh. "I can only hope James will continue to improve - and I pray for him every day."

"Yeah, maybe try not chewing on him about the snuggly little Elfling. That might help too."

"I haven't-" Kurt shook his head. "I have said nothing. Not one word."

"Yet."

Kurt gestured to the sketchbook. "Clearly, she understands him and cares deeply - why would I get in the way of someone who helps him to improve?"

She got up and kissed his cheek. "No reason at all, I'm sure."

Kurt shook his head at her. "All of my children love your children, K. This is not news."

"Of course they do," she said. "And you should probably check on your bestie too. He's been needing a lot of snuggles lately too. Not that I'm complaining."

Kurt smirked at that and nodded. "I'll take him drinking."

"You will _not_ ," K said. "We have an agreement running."

Kurt raised an eyebrow her way. "Oh?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes. When all this mess settles out, I promised to bring him a pair of inhibitor collars and a couple bottles of whiskey. I'm gonna liquor him up _cheap_."

Kurt let out a laugh. "Ah. Well then, I'll play him in pool and take all his money."

"I'm sure it won't be hard. I challenged him on who's more of a lightweight for drinking. Should be fun." She let out a sound of mock surprise. "Hey. All three of us might be able to get wasted in under a case. _And_ provide Scott with some much-needed humor."

Kurt chuckled and nodded. "I'll take you up on that," he promised before he got to his feet. "But first, I should return my daughter's sketchbook."


	6. Over My Dead Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the X-Men protect their own, even from international summons.

The tenor of the meeting with the United Nations was different than it had been when Scott had made appearances there before. It was definitely still accusatory, and they were all still angling for a fight, but this had a lot more of a desperate undertone to it, when so many representatives were coming from countries that had been destabilized in some way — whether they were in the middle of civil wars or wars with each other or whether they were rebuilding from natural disasters… all of them were hurting or lashing out somehow, and it made the accusatory feeling that much stronger.

Scott knew that he had his work cut out for him with this one. There were enough people that had _seen_ the Horsemen that it wouldn't be as simple as just arguing that they were coming for the wrong people.

He let out a breath as he glanced over his shoulder to Hank standing behind him. Hank looked perfectly calm as he was pushing Scott forward, but to someone who knew him as well as Scott did, it was obvious that the old doctor was gearing up for a fight if need be, and Scott nodded to himself, glad that he'd brought Hank with him. Logan wouldn't have been able to do this — not that Scott would have ever said that out loud.

When the hearing began, there was a brief overview of why they were gathered, along with a summary of all that the horsemen had done and several mentions of the rising death toll and the need for justice. Then, at last, Scott was asked to speak on the matter — if you could call it that. Really, it was more of a demand to explain why he hadn't brought the four Horsemen with him so they could face their trial.

"I'm more than happy to answer any questions you have about what happened with En Sabah Nur, but I'm not going to allow you to drag his victims into the spotlight while they're still recovering from horrific torture," Scott said evenly. "If you wanted them called as witnesses to the atrocities that En Sabah Nur committed, that would be one thing. But instead, you want someone to crucify, and I won't let you do that, especially when two of the people you're asking to crucify are minors."

"You can't shield them behind that tired old excuse," said one representative in a sharp tone — and Scott recognized the tag as one of the countries that had been devastated by a hurricane. "Not in this day and age when we have the pictures, video — plenty of evidence to show exactly _who_ is to blame for the death toll that rises every day."

Scott shook his head. "And with all due respect, you can't hide behind _that_ excuse in this day and age when there are documented cases of mind control." He kept his tone even as he leaned forward. "I shouldn't have to tell this body what En Sabah Nur is capable of, not when this isn't the first time he's shown up or the first time we've had to deal with the aftermath. He has always taken people and hijacked their minds. And if the international courts want to try people for their actions when their bodies and minds were being used by someone more powerful, then you're going to set a dangerous precedent for victims the world over."

"You say their minds were taken over, and yet if you look at the nature of the attacks, there were personal grudges being carried out," one of the representatives argued.

"You'll have to be more specific," Scott said evenly. "En Sabah Nur sent all four of them to missions around the world, and they were often sent specifically to fight people that they _loved_ in order to cement his hold over them."

There was a bit of murmuring, though Scott wasn't surprised when it was one of Russia's neighbors that spoke up with, "Sying-Varr was sent to Russia."

Scott smirked at that. "And why do you think that is?" he asked.

"It was an attack on Russian sovereignty," the Russian representative insisted.

"Not a personal attack, then?" Scott said with one eyebrow raised.

"Certainly not in _our_ case. Perhaps in others," the representative insisted.

"You can't get Russia to argue your point when we have all seen the images and footage of their _operative_ ," another representative said with some serious heat. "They can push that official line, but it's not going to change what we all _know_ — and that's that Sying-Varr was sent to Russia to repay them for their weapons program."

"Their illegal weapons program?" the Finnish delegate asked. "If that's the case, then it could have been looked at as a peacekeeping mission."

The chair called for order as the accusations began to fly. "This hearing is not about the existence or actions of any such programs," he insisted.

"You're the ones arguing that these kids were acting out their own grudges. Are you suggesting that the son of the Kree ambassador to Earth has a personal grudge against several different nations — many of which he hadn't been to?" Scott asked evenly.

"What about James Howlett?" a delegate asked. "You can't say that after everything that happened with his sister and her husband that his attacks on scientists working on developing a non-addictive boost for humanity wasn't personal."

"And Leslie Ann Wright's problems with the MRD have long been documented," said another delegate. "Even if there's good reason for the anger, you can't say this wasn't a grudge."

Scott took a deep breath and held it for a moment before he let it out. "En Sabah Nur has always gone after people and organizations that he feels harm or hold back mutantkind," he said slowly. "Programs that enslave or hunt down mutants, programs that elevate humanity — those are exactly the kinds of organizations that he hated. So yes, when he reached into their minds and saw programs and people championing causes that he hated, he sent his Horsemen to deal with them." He looked around the room. "But don't mistake his hatred for anything _they_ would do. If this was a grudge, these programs would have been wiped out before En Sabah Nur came along. He was the one that saw those things and decided murder, not peace, was the best option."

"There's an argument to be made that he simply gave them the tools to act out their aggressions," chimed in another delegate.

Scott shook his head. "I can submit for your consideration the medical records, including brain scans, of all four that show the complete transformation and takeover that En Sabah Nur enacted on them," he said. "But I can tell you that this is how he worked — he wanted loyalty, and so he let them believe they were in control. Make no mistake — you will find the signs of torture, mental and physical, in those records. This was not some cult leader. This was Apocalypse, and he used _children_ as slaves."

"It's pretty convenient that the X-Men are always pointing the finger at someone else when they're the ones causing mayhem," one of the delegates said.

"That's a mischaracterization of events," the delegate from New Guinea chimed in. "The X-Men and Avengers were heavily involved in fighting fires and floods in my country long after the Horsemen were gone."

"Not just the members of the team," Scott said. "We've had several students who have volunteered to use their gifts to help anyone who was hurt during En Sabah Nur's rampage. I'm proud of the way our students have stepped up to the world stage to help."

"That's just a little too late for the victims of the other four," another delegate said angrily. "Where are they, anyway? Hiding from the consequences of their actions?"

" _Dealing_ with the consequences," Scott said with some real heat. "This body isn't a stranger to dealing with crimes related to the torture of innocents. Do you really think this soon after their minds were ripped from them and they spent weeks in agony that any of them are remotely _close_ to recovery? Especially when you consider that the youngest is _fifteen_?"

"You can't expect these mass slaughters and war crimes to go unpunished."

"No, I don't, and I think you'll find that I've never once excused what happened or said that it didn't," Scott said. "But En Sabah Nur is dead, and his hold over his victims has been released. Are you really going to stand here and talk about justice when you're trying to lock up the very same people that he enslaved? You really think that's going to help anything? You think that's justice — punishing the victims?" He looked around the room at the gathered delegates. "I told you I would come here and answer any questions that you had. I will tell you exactly how En Sabah Nur was killed. But I will _not_ let you hurt the people he tortured. That's not justice — it's revenge, and it's petty, and it's beneath the dignity of the United Nations."

"If you didn't have _personal_ connections with one of these criminals, would you still be defending them so fiercely?"

Scott turned toward the delegate who had asked the question and narrowed his eyes. "Yes," he said. "I would be saying exactly the same thing of anyone that En Sabah Nur took over. If for no other reason than that I've personally experienced it and know for a fact that his victims have _zero_ control of themselves. It's a nightmare, and it's torture, and I take it very seriously, regardless of who is involved." He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "Now. I'll be happy to answer any questions and speak as a witness. And Dr. McCoy will be happy to provide expert testimony on the damage done to the Horsemen by En Sabah Nur. But this is not a trial. This is a statement of fact of what happened to a monster who affected the whole world."

After that, it was a bit more straightforward, with the delegates questioning Scott about how Apocalypse had been killed, questioning Hank about the Horsemen, et cetera. But it was clear that the delegates were losing a lot of their earlier accusatory tones, especially when some of the countries involved flat didn't want to admit that there was a reason they'd been targeted, and other countries were actively testifying about the good that the X-Men had been doing — especially, to Scott's growing pride, his niece, Nadia, who was still in the Caribbean trying to help with the floodwaters.

By the time they broke for recess, both Hank and Scott were honestly worn out, but they were at least more optimistic on seeing the divided delegates.

"Feels a little less like a witch hunt, at least," Scott muttered to Hank when they reached the hotel room where they would be staying — since they were going to be there for at least a few days until the UN was satisfied.

"We'll have to see how things continue," Hank agreed. "How are you holding up, then, o' fearless leader, mine?"

Scott gave Hank a dry look for that one and shook his head. "I'm fine. Frustrated. But I'm fine."

"You knew this was going to happen," Hank pointed out. "And I'd suspect you knew most of those questions and accusations would come up."

"Yeah, you'd think in fifty years they would come up with new things to say, but it still feels like exactly the same things they threw at us when we first got started," Scott said with a wan smile Hank's way.

"You're making the mistake of assuming that they're using any kind of reason or logic in their arguments."

"I have to hope they will eventually," Scott said. He scrubbed a hand over his face and smirked. "At least this time, we seemed to have a few friends in the room. I'm sure Annie's home bragging about her niece the hero."

"Without a doubt," Hank replied with a smile.

Scott nodded and leaned back so that his head was tipped back for a moment before he looked at Hank again. "Alright. Thank you — for coming with me."

"You know I don't mind one bit, Scott," Hank replied.

Scott nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment before he added, "And when we get back, I think it's time to let James up. He's been tied down this whole time, and here I am making the argument that it would be worse to lock them up… I should really listen to my own advice."

"That family does seem to do better when they can move," Hank agreed. "I'll contact Tony and tell him to have his new phone ready to go so we can keep track of him."

"Thanks, Hank."

* * *

Chance couldn't sleep.

He didn't want to bother anyone about it, all things considered. It wasn't like he was working through the trauma of torture and brainwashing like the Horsemen were. And he wasn't the only one mourning, since Cody wasn't the only loss.

But he had found his brother. He'd _seen_ him lying where he had died. He'd gotten Cody's blood on his uniform.

When he closed his eyes, he still saw Cody, still and lifeless. So it was hard to sleep if he hadn't worked himself into exhaustion.

He knew Chloe was in the War Room doing what their dad usually did: distracting herself by throwing her all into team intel. So, he decided to comb a different kind of intel, scanning the web to see what the sentiment was outside of the ICJ regarding the Horsemen.

Which was how he wound up spending most of the night online, on David's forum and other places. By the time morning came around, he was starting to realize the X-Men needed to do more public damage control than just his dad's international speeches.

He waited until Elin came down for breakfast before he sprang his idea.

"Hey, so, I think our favorite intrepid semi-reporter is going to have an aneurism live online, and we should probably do something about it," Chance said without any further introduction as he sat down beside Elin with his phone out and the webpage for Alyssa's video blog pulled up.

"What do you think we should do?" Elin asked. "James was the one that had her direct contact, and his phone is MIA." She took Chance's phone and hit the play button. "How bad is it?"

"Well, she was sort of live-blogging the UN thing and got upset from pretty much one minute in when she was convinced that James and the others were going to get locked up," Chance said. "I mean, you can see her rallying about twenty minutes in when Hank started to go in about the torture, because the delegates couldn't argue that very well, but she still thinks there's a prison sentence in store."

"If they're lucky," Elin said dryly. "I doubt they're looking to imprison them."

Chance frowned her way for a moment before he sighed and shook his head. "The point is," he said, "I think it might be time for you and me to go to that cafe and see if we can catch her attention. Reassure her — and thank the mutant community for their support."

"We'll have to wait for your Dad to get back," Elin said, leaning back. "My dad's not up to not killing people if it goes south. Even with Lily starting to snuggle up."

"I don't think we should wait," Chance said. "I think there are a lot of mutants — and even non-mutants — who are watching this and who are scared. And even if this goes south, we should talk to them."

Elin turned his way and had to smile a little. "Let's clear it by Dad, then. Mom's handling the school, but he's our guy for getting a feel on the crowd, even if he is a little lost."

"He's gonna be running the team anyway, the way my dad's going," Chance said quietly. "Dad hasn't said anything, not with James the way he is, but I know he wants to step back."

"Daddy is _not_ going to like that."

"That's why he hasn't said anything," Chance said as he offered her a hand up. He gave her an encouraging smile. "Besides, you know my dad. He won't give up the team entirely. He'll still be in the War Room when he's a hundred and nine."

"Oh I hope so," she said before she let him pull her up into a quick kiss and then led the way to where she was sure her father was — and for the moment, it was kind of a perfect picture.

He had John, who was sitting on his chest while he laid on the floor. John was hitting him in the nose, giggling madly at the growl Logan gave him every time - while Lily was almost gasping every time that John smacked him.

"Hey, Dad," Chance said with a grin that he couldn't quite stop when he saw the scene. "You don't have to get up — we were just wondering if we could get some advice."

"On what?" Logan asked, nipping at John's hand and getting a squeal of laughter for it.

"Little bit of public outreach," Chance said. "Been keeping an eye on the reaction to the UN trial from our generation, and there's a lot of panic and worry that we kind of want to help with."

Logan reached up to catch John's hand, then turned his head to give Chance a disbelieving look. "You're asking _me_ advice on public outreach? What the hell would I know about that?"

"My dad's in the UN, so you're kind of in charge of team affairs," Chance pointed out. "We just wanted to get your okay on going to talk to a vlogger to do a sort of public reassurance that no matter what happens, the X-Men aren't going to let innocent people get hurt."

Logan let out a little sigh and sat up, holding John in one arm as he did so. "Do you know this person, or is this a solicitation?"

"Elin and James did an interview before — James has been feeding her a few quotes that we've approved too."

"We know her in passing; she's a fan," Elin said. "James was talking to her pretty regularly, and honestly, I'd use his phone and do it remote if it wasn't for the fact that it's been missing since the car accident."

Logan looked up at the two of them for a moment as John tried to get his father to play again. "Alright, but here's what I want," Logan said after a few moments thought. "Both of you have panic buttons and tracers. I want the tracers on when you walk out the door one way or another, and I want you to have backup on site, ready to pull you both out if _anything_ looks off." He let out a breath. "I don't trust the climate. Even if your buddy is okay, that doesn't mean someone else won't take a shot while you're in the open."

Chance nodded along to every word, slowly. "Alright," he said. "I'll have Kaleb and Gerry shadow us."

"Kurt. You should have someone with more experience dealing with a crowd." He waved one hand. "You can have Kaleb and Gerry too — but Kurt is the one to oversee."

Chance glanced at Elin and then nodded. "Done."

Logan got to his feet and made a point to look them both squarely in the face. "And I want everything on this contact of yours before you go. I'm not gonna have anything happen to anyone else."

Chance nodded seriously before he couldn't help but smile Logan's way. "Love you too, Dad."

Logan gave him a little look but nodded. "Go. Send Kurt down so I can fill him in."

* * *

Sying and Krissy had been down to the medical wing a few times now trying to get a picture of their little one — but while the little alien elfling seemed more than happy to show off the tail, there was just no getting the little one to turn so they could see if they were having a boy or a girl. Which Krissy insisted meant that the little one had Sying's flexibility as well as her tail.

But this time, they were determined to find out what they were having, and they came downstairs hand-in-hand to where Tyler was filling in for Hank. "If we can't get a picture, we will legitimately settle for you doing your magic mojo scan and just _telling_ us what we're having," Krissy informed Tyler as she sat down on the bed. They were on the other end of the medical wing from where James was, in sort of an effort to give the rest of the patients a way to come down for attention without having to worry about James and whoever was with him at the moment.

"Are you really both that impatient that you can't just … wait and see?" Tyler had to tease, writing his notes down before they could get started.

"Um, yes," Krissy said, with Sying smirking and nodding beside her as he held her hand tightly.

Tyler tutted and shook his head before he pulled the ultrasound machine over. "Well that's just too bad, because we're going to try to give you a picture of proof first."

"We'd prefer it that way," Sying said with a little smirk.

"You know, assuming the tiny gymnast _cooperates_ ," Krissy said, shaking her head.

Tyler couldn't help but smile a little wider at that before they just got started, and simply because he was in a little bit of a mood, and he knew how impatient they were, he was sure to turn the screen away from them as he worked, not giving anything away as he went through the measurements and the actual vital information.

"That's a little ahead of the curve for Terrans, though, right?" Sying asked as he held Krissy's hand.

"Just active so far," Tyler said. "Little bit quicker growing but not … by ...much." He took a moment to run the calculations and then marked down a few things.

"Explains why I'm not as sick as your mom was," Krissy whispered to Sying, who looked downright relieved as he nodded and rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, his foot bouncing as they waited.

"That's pretty specific to each woman and each pregnancy," Tyler said. "They aren't the same every time. Ever."

"Ooh, don't jinx me, Tyler," Krissy said, scrunching up her nose at him. "I already agreed to a big family, and I'm enjoying the not-super-sick-ness."

Tyler had to smirk a little at that, going right back to the test. "Yeah, talk to Annie and K about their experiences. They had the whole spectrum between them."

"Yeah, no, that's okay," Krissy said, shaking her head.

Tyler chuckled and then hit a button to capture an image and then turn the screen for them. "Got a great profile. And she's using her tail like most babies in utero use their thumb. As a pacifier."

The disbelieving, huge smiles that broke out over both Krissy's and Sying's faces were practically an exact match as they looked over the picture of the little one - who was, in fact, curled up and sucking on the end of her tail.

"She?" Sying said almost so softly that only Tyler heard it.

"Well. No picture proof, but I know what it's like wanting to know. Especially when they don't cooperate."

"You totally cheated with your little girls, didn't you?" Krissy asked with a crooked sort of smile.

"Why wouldn't I?" Tyler asked with a growing grin.

Krissy just laughed at that before she tugged on Sying's hand to pull him into a solid hug and a kiss. "We're having a little girl," she told him, her eyes sparkling with glee.

He grinned at her and kissed her right back, waiting for Tyler to help Krissy get cleaned up before he was sure to give Tyler a hug too and then — before anyone could tell him not to — zipped off to where he technically wasn't _supposed_ to be visiting James yet, since the Horsemen were supposed to be giving each other space to heal and not potentially triggering each other. But he wasn't going to _not_ tell his uncle about his baby girl. That was just ridiculous.

When Sying came skidding to a stop on the other side of the med lab, grinning broadly, Sadie raised a single eyebrow at him, though he was more focused on the fact that James was tied down and still looked decidedly downhearted — with a buzz cut instead of his usually long hair.

But Sying was still in too good a mood to say anything about that — yet — and instead dropped down onto the foot of James' bed with a grin. "It's a girl," he said in an almost breathless voice, still over-the-moon excited about it.

James looked up at him and gave him an obviously forced smile. "Congratulations."

"She's using her tail as a pacifier," Sying said, the smile dropping a bit at the state of his uncle but still firmly in place. "We're having a little elfling!"

"Doesn't Krissy still do that?" James said quietly. "The pacifier thing."

"No, but she does smack me in the face with it sometimes when she's dreaming," Sying admitted with a little smirk.

"Sure it's not on purpose?" James said, trying to tease him.

"I'd like to think not," Sying said, shaking his head to himself before he rested his hand on James' shoulder. "So, when are you getting out? _Please_ tell me it's before the fall, because I need all of my aunts and uncles to hold her."

"Yeah, I don't know," James said quietly before he dropped his gaze. The truth was that James had become convinced that if he kept breathing, _this_ was his life now.

"Well, I'll talk to Scott," Sying promised. "And Hank and Tyler and whoever else needs it."

"You don't have to do that," James said quickly.

"Sure I do," Sying said, his head tipped to the side. "That's what family does."

"You can't reason with him," Sadie said.

Sying watched James for a long moment before he let his shoulders drop and scooted closer so that he was leaning in almost to James' ear. "I know," he whispered. "It hurts."

"You've got better things to do right now," James replied.

Sying let out a small breath and let his smile drop entirely. "I … I haven't seen any of the others," he said, still in that same bare whisper.

James shook his head. "No. Me either," he replied just as softly. "I'm sorry for dragging you into that."

Sying shook his head and squeezed James' arm. "I'm sorry I got you in so much trouble."

"You didn't," James said. "I did that to myself."

"That's not really how I remember it," Sying said. "But I don't blame _you_." He let his gaze drop. "I know who did that to me."

There was a poof of purple, and Krissy appeared close by, shaking her head at Sying. "You goon — you ran off on me!" she declared — and Tyler wasn't at all far behind on getting over there. She gave James a little smile. "Did he tell you we're having a girl? Cutest alien-elfling _ever_."

"He did," James said, again forcing a little smile. "Congrats."

Krissy grinned at him and gave him a hug as best she was able. "Just you wait until she's born - we picked out the _perfect_ name," she said, still grinning before she let him go — though Tyler was giving James a sort of warning look over her shoulder when he saw the state of things. He couldn't know it, but that was exactly like confirmation to James of how much of a burden he was on everyone.

"You should probably go tell your Dad," James said quietly.

"Oh yeah. And Sying's parents and your parents. Gotta get the full Grandpa Wolvie and Grammy K look," Krissy promised. "I have a bamf set to record it. For posterity. "

"Kari's got my camera. Make her do it," James said.

"Even better," Krissy agreed before she simply grabbed Sying's arm and teleported off with him to go find her parents — who were, happily, in the living room so that Lily and John could play with Chelsea and all the little ones could get out their energy while Logan and K and Kate and Kurt watched out for them.

Of course, neither Krissy nor Sying had a poker face to speak of, and no patience on top of that, so the news was out of their mouths before the smoke had even cleared: "We're having a girl!"

Kurt was quickest on the draw and teleported over to the two of them in an instant, wrapping Krissy up in a warm hug and kissing her forehead before he was sure to snag Sying for a hug as well. " _Wunderbar_! She will be perfect, just like you, _Prinzessin_ ," he said, still beaming at them both.

"Got a picture, too," Sying said, the grin quickly returning to his face as Kate finally caught up so they could show off the image of their little girl with her tail in her mouth curled up and cozy.

Kate made a noise that clearly said she was dying as she held the picture up to see it and then hugged the stuffing out of both of them — while the littlest ones were making their way over curiously to see what all the hugging was about.

"Inna see," Chelsea said, holding her arms up until Kate picked her up so she could see the picture and scrunch up her nose at it.

"That's a picture of the baby inside your big sister," Kate explained with a smile as Chelsea continued to study the picture with narrowed eyes.

"O...kay," Chelsea said slowly before she leaned over to Krissy with her hands out until her big sister picked her up so she could give Krissy a kiss and pat her head. "Your baby weird."

"No, she's pretty, just like you," Krissy said, poking Chelsea in the stomach and then tickling her outright to get her to laugh until she wriggled to be let down.

K got up and made her way over to Sying and wrapped him up in a hug, then kissed his cheek. "Ready or not ... " She gave him another quick hug, and, before anyone else could do anything, Lily made her way over to do the same - still playing an impressive game of monkey see-monkey do to almost everything K had been up to.

Sying couldn't help but grin as he gave Lily a hug back and then kissed K's cheek. "She'll be calling you Grammy K still, of course," he said.

"Of course she will," K said, shaking her head at him before Lily started pulling on him to go over to Logan and John.

"Had to go for a girl," Logan said, shaking his head.

Sying just grinned at him and shrugged as he sat down by Logan and gave him a solid hug. "I'm so not complaining."

"You're going to end up with your mother — with teleportation — you know that, right?" Logan said, returning the hug.

"You never know — she could take after one of our dads in the personality department," Sying said with a grin.

"I doubt that somehow," he replied, smirking when John started hitting Sying.

Sying grinned at John and started to bat away his hands to poke him in the stomach for every attempted hit. "I'm really excited about it," he told Logan, still smiling. "It's — it's the best thing in my life. My wife and my _baby_."

Logan just nodded at that. "Don't ever forget it either."

"I won't," Sying promised, though he paused and looked over his shoulder to where Krissy was still wrapped up with the others before he leaned closer. "Can I ask you something, Grandpa?"

"Always," Logan agreed before he set John down to play.

Sying leaned in a little more and bit his lip before he said quietly, "I know more than people will tell me," he said. "And I know why Scott's gone. And I — I just want to ask you ... if you and Grammy K will make sure they're okay, no matter what happens."

Logan nodded at that, then looked up at him. "You're not going anywhere," Logan said with more of a growl than he wanted to use. "And if I hear you talk like that again, I'll slap you so damn hard you'll forget about the whole frikkin' thing."

Sying looked surprised at the growl before he straightened up a bit. "I just — I'm not saying I want to — I just know—"

"It's not happening like that. So forget it." He was still growling when he spoke.

Sying stared at him for a moment before he simply let out a breath and nodded slowly, dropping his gaze to his hands.

"You wanna worry about something, worry about taking care of your wife and little girl. That's it. That's your whole job. Don't screw it up."

"I won't," Sying promised quickly. "That's — that's what I was trying to do. Just in case," he tried to explain.

But Logan gave him a hard look that was very clearly a dare to keep talking about it.

"Okay," Sying said at last and got to his feet. "We still gotta find my parents…"

"I'll bring them to you," Kurt offered before he gave Sying a little grin and disappeared with a few bamfs.

It was only a moment later that Noh and Jubilee were both in the living room, and Krissy simply teleported right to them with the picture in hand. "Look at your granddaughter — she's amazing!" she beamed, all but bouncing in place.

Noh broke into a _huge_ smile as he picked Krissy up and spun her around. "Congratulations!" he laughed delightedly. "She'll be perfect, of course — and perfectly spoiled, I hope you know."

"Like we'd have it any other way," Krissy said with a smile as she wrapped Noh up in a hug — and Sying rushed over to get Jubilee and spin her too.

"Yay! Just what we needed _more_ little girls for Wolvie's army!" Jubilee was giggling. "Even if Billy thought we needed to gather them up from other realities … _pssht._ Like we'd run out of them here."

"Silly Billy," Chelsea giggled delightedly.

 _I actually tried to talk to Grandpa Wolvie about the army… sorta,_ Sying projected to his mom as he hugged her.

_What did you do? He's all growly. Little girls don't make him growly, sweetheart._

_I just asked him if he'd watch out for Krissy and the baby if… well… the Horsemen thing… comes back to bite me._

Jubilee stiffened up and looked him square in the eyes. _You did what?_

 _I was trying to have a backup plan! I'm not stupid_ — _I know what's going on, and if I get locked up, I need to know Krissy and the baby will be okay!_

 _But he's_ decided _that isn't going to happen. At all. You can't … that's like asking him to admit that there is a possibility. He's in 'fight the whole world' mode. He won't do that. At all._

 _But if it does,_ Sying insisted.

Jubilee shook her head. _No. You don't get it. He will actually fight. The world. And dare them to stop him._

 _Mom, I just want_ — _it's not like I haven't been locked up before, and I know it's a real possibility._

 _And it's not happening again. He's not going to let that happen to James, he's not letting it happen to you_ — _especially with a little_ girl _on the way. You haven't seen him decide things like this. It's over. Even if the rest of the world doesn't know it._

Sying watched her for a moment longer before he finally broke into a small smile and pulled her into an even tighter hug, hiding his face in her shoulder for a moment. _I'm not trying to upset him, Mom. I'm just…. I'm just scared,_ he admitted, and even his mental voice sounded small.

Jubilee pulled him into another tight hug. _Don't be. We have our own plans in place in the very very small possibility that Logan is wrong. You'll just … go to Hala._

Sying raised both eyebrows and stared at Jubilee for a moment before he relaxed into the hug. _You know… that would totally work._

Jubilee gave him another hug in return. "Yaaaaay, baby girl … totally not having a psychic conversation behind your back, Wolvie … nooooo, don't make us run…."

Sying snorted at that and shook his head at her. "Thanks, Mom. For the bus."

"Hey, you ticked him off; I just threw a little extra gas on the fire," Jubilee giggled.

Sying shook his head at her for that one before he kissed her cheek and went over to where Krissy was to wrap his arms around her from behind and rest his chin on her shoulder. "You haven't spilled the name yet, have you?" he teased her lightly.

"Give me _some_ credit here," Krissy giggled. "I'm saving that for a rainy day when you need the pick-me-up."

Sying grinned and kissed her cheek. "Love you too," he whispered to her.


	7. Hug Magnet Junior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which James finally gets to be around people again, yay!

It felt like it had been much longer than the day or so since Scott left before Elin and Chance's meetup could take place, though by that point, they were wondering exactly how blown out of proportion Logan could make a simple meet up.

Kurt had agreed with Logan and taken it a step further to not only run the mission and keep eyes on them but to bring half a dozen bamfs too — in case of major problems or needing to evac the coffee shop.

Both of them had earwigs in so that they were in touch with Kurt, and Elin was looking at Chance with an expression that was so clearly 'I told you so' that she didn't even need to approach saying the words.

She made her order, then waited for him to put his in before she headed over to the one booth she knew her father would have approved of — keeping the lines of sight open to all exits while still being partly obscured from the front window. "Everything for a while will probably feel like a military operation. Just … fyi."

"I'm not complaining too much, considering who's in the crosshairs," Chance said softly.

"Alright, but … just had to point out that you were the one who wanted this."

"And let me point out that I still do, and I haven't complained, so — and I can't believe I, as a Summers, am saying this to a Howlett, but — _relax_."

She gave him a little smirk. "What the hell made you ever think that a Howlett can't keep up and exceed all expectations on paranoia and stress levels, Mr. Summers?"

"The bigger version of me with several heart attacks and a stroke, Mrs. Summers. I see my mistake now."

She had to laugh at him before she leaned across the table and stole a kiss. "Well. Surprise. Your dad is wrong more often than you know."

"Lies," he said, still resting his forehead against her. "You're just terribly biased."

"I can ask for an unbiased professional opinion from our team leader for the day," Elin chuckled.

"Oh yeah, _there's_ an example of an unbiased opinion," Chance couldn't help but laugh.

"Insulting the Elf isn't going to win you points," Elin replied, smiling much more easily now that she was at least picking on him a little.

"And insulting the dad isn't winning you any points. We're both in the negatives, sweetheart," Chance teased.

"I'm not … I'm just pointing out facts," she defended.

"You are not," Chance said in a perfectly insulted tone.

"It's okay," she said, almost wide-eyed. "I didn't marry you for your ability to be right."

Chance smirked and stole a kiss across the table. "Good, because neither did I."

She offered him her hand, and when he took it, she leaned back. "So how long do you think this'll take?"

"Wait, wait… no, crap, I left my crystal ball in my other pants," Chance said, perfectly straightfaced.

"You know, you could probably just wait alone. I could go down the street and order some much-needed sushi and we could cover two spots instead of one," she replied just as seriously.

At that, Chance let out a little laugh and shook his head, leaning over to start gently kissing her jaw. "No, no, please, don't be so cruel," he said, the laughter obvious in his voice.

"But I'm just pointing out that, _tactically,_ it might be better, tiny tactician."

"Tactically, we're more likely to get attention together — and tactically, if you wanted two spots, you should have said so at the start so we could get the rest of the team covering the other one and setting up at the exits."

She couldn't help but smile at him, looking a little more wicked than he was used to. "Well … if you want attention, I could slap you silly, call you a few names, and storm out."

He blinked at her for a second before he laughed, shook his head, and pulled her into a kiss. "C'mon, El, I just got my reputation back," he said softly. "Give a guy a break, huh?"

She let out a sigh and then moved to sit next to him rather than across. "Okay, but just this once."

"You're so magnanimous, Mrs. Summers."

"You sound surprised," she deadpanned as the waitress arrived with their drinks, and she took it a step further, playing full paranoid like she'd been told when she took a sniff of his coffee before letting him have it.

Chance couldn't help but grin at her. "You take such good care of me."

"Yeah, I like you pretty well," she agreed, leaning on him so he could put his arm around her.

The two of them were perfectly comfortable together and enjoying themselves when, finally, Alyssa did come to the cafe with her laptop to get some coffee and some work done — though when she saw Elin and Chance, she had _zero_ poker face as she rushed over, her computer clutched to her chest and her eyes wide.

"Are you guys okay? What's going on? Is everyone alright? James won't answer me…"

"Are you asking as a friend or a webcaster?" Elin asked. "Because if you want to talk off the record, pull up a seat."

"I don't — if it's bad, I don't want the cameras running," Alyssa said breathlessly as she sat down. "And I really am worried. I've been watching the news this whole time, and no one will answer me…"

"James lost his phone a while ago," Elin told her. "And he's not talking to anyone."

"Okay, yeah, I understand that," Alyssa said, nodding to herself. "But can you tell me if he's okay? A lot of the stuff on the UN trial sounds _horrible_."

Elin frowned and shook her head lightly. "I'm not sure that I can tell you that, and yeah, the trial is horrible. But Cyclops and Beast haven't said anything that wasn't true."

"Then I'm really sorry," Alyssa said honestly. "And please - let everyone there know we're all pulling for them. Really."

Elin gave her a little smile. "You know, you can text me until James gets himself a new phone, if you need clarification."

Alyssa beamed at her. "That would be great," she said.

Elin took out her phone and had Alyssa give her the number, then sent her a quick little 'hi' text to complete the circle. "We won't be able to do anything like an interview until we have a better idea of what's happening overseas," Elin told her. "We don't want to get them screwed worse."

"That makes total sense," Alyssa said, then bit her lip as she thought about it. "What about — maybe just a message? Just something to say … well… just _something_. Everyone's worried. I light four candles … just about every time I go to church."

Elin nodded in response and let Alyssa take a moment to get her phone ready. "We're not giving up on them," Elin said, with all the same fire her father had lately when the subject was breached.

"We know the truth and we're standing by it — and standing by family," Chance agreed. "No one is going to come after innocent people while the X-Men are around to stand up for them."

Alyssa grinned at them both as she put her phone away. "Thanks. Really. And good luck."

"When it gets a little closer to knowing," Elin said, "we'll figure out how to do something more. Thanks for caring about my brother."

Alyssa smiled at both of them and clutched her phone and laptop to her chest as she got to her feet. "I just wish you knew how many people are pulling for you right now," she said.

"I wish _he_ knew," Elin said.

"Will you tell him I said hi? And that I'm praying for him — please?" Alyssa asked. "He's a good friend."

"I'll let him know," Chance promised. "He can use some good vibes anyway."

Elin stopped her before she could go and pulled out her phone again, pulling up the camera app. "You have anything you want to tell him?" she asked with a smirk.

Alyssa broke into a huge smile and nodded, taking a moment to adjust her hair before Elin nodded to tell her she was recording. "Hey, James. I just — I just wanted to tell you to get up out of the dirt and that there's literally a few million people all pulling for you and — and I'm one of them. So, I hope you know you've got all our support and our love." She bit her lip and then waved goodbye before she simply stepped over and wrapped Elin up in a hug.

Elin returned it easily and gave her a little squeeze. "I'll make him watch it."

* * *

It had been a couple weeks since Hank and Scott had left for the Hague, and both of them were worn and ready to be done with the whole affair by the time it was finally over — and the UN rather grudgingly agreed that the four former Horsemen would not be held internationally responsible for what Apocalypse had made them do.

Of course, that wasn't the end of things in the least, since the decision had sparked outcry in several places, from people who still wanted to see the kids punished, so the two X-Men had left in a flurry of protests and were fairly _done_ with the whole thing, tired of seeing the people they loved dragged through the mud.

So it was an incredibly nice change of pace when they got home to find that the mansion was ringing with laughter almost as soon as they walked in the door.

K was sitting on the floor with Tony Stark and Lily — who was absolutely entranced with him, which did wonders for Tony's ego, if the amount of laughter was anything to go by.

Billy and Teddy were snuggled up with a soundly sleeping John, though Billy was having trouble keeping the laughter quiet with the back and forth that was going on between K and Tony. As usual.

"Annie made your favorite for tonight, most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen," K sang out to Scott before he could step fully into the room, and already, Tony was scoffing. "She's missed you terribly."

Scott couldn't help but grin at that. "The feeling was entirely mutual," he said, grinning even wider as he watched the little ones playing around. Even Chelsea was in on the fun, too, her red pigtails bouncing as she played at K's feet while Lily was distracted and playing with Tony.

Tony had Lily half pulled into a hug, simply grinning at her. "There has to have been some kind of mistake. There is no way this little cutie pie is half Sabretooth."

"That's what Billy said. You gonna call him a liar?" K challenged.

"He better not or I'll turn him into a frog," Billy teased, just to get Lily giggling madly.

"No, no," Tony said, grinning widely. "No … I just … I didn't think that … this was even something that could _happen_ … in any reality. Seems questionable."

"It… actually isn't," Billy admitted quietly. "They had some nasty things cooked up in a few realities, and K's imagination with Creed's proclivities?" He shuddered.

K pointed a finger Tony's way. "I see what you're getting at, Mr. Stark, and I don't appreciate that particular innuendo about my sweet, innocent self with _el Tigre._ "

"No, no, I'm just saying that there's gotta be a _few_ anyhow where there are some genius dark-haired types," Tony said with a massive grin K's way.

"You mean like this one? I have a genius dark-haired type already in this one and he looks just like his father," K said, giving Tony a significant look. " _So_ handsome."

"Not … the … not what I was getting at," Tony said, still grinning. "Admit it — we'd be one hell of a team."

"No, no … not in any reality. Sorry," K said, shaking her head evenly as Billy couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. "That could result in a perma-Stark. There is no scenario where that is okay," K defended, smiling Billy's way. "Right? Come on. Back me up."

Of course, that just had Billy laughing even harder, enough that Teddy playfully got up and moved away with John so that Billy could fall apart laughing. "You named her Aina," he barely breathed out between gasps. "One of them, anyway."

"Oh, come on," K said, leaning back.

"Would it help or hurt if I told you the one you have that's a Barton is named Evie?"

"Tell me that I was at least _cheating_ on Tony," K said. "It'd be poetic justice. But I can see tiny blonde Barton girl. That's okay."

Billy couldn't even answer her question because he was laughing so hard at the look on Tony's face - and at the fact that Lily was so totally entertained that her daddy was so happy that she was having a giggle fit of her own — totally falling apart every time Billy would get a breath so that he would start laughing even harder all over again.

"Ooh, I got it! I was sleeping with _Steve_ while I was with Tony!" K said, looking delighted. "That would be perfect! Are you sure Aina was _really_ a Stark? I mean … that's an old-fashioned name after all. She had to be a Rogers."

Billy was positively beside himself and unable to string two words together the longer K talked, and Chelsea finally reached up to put her hand over K's mouth. "Shhhhhush. Billy, no."

"He likes it, though, and just _look_ at Tony," K said, snatching her up and turning to smile at him and give him a wink. "Hey sweetheart."

Tony burst out laughing at that, and Chelsea just couldn't help but fall apart herself with so many people laughing. And Hank and Scott couldn't help but grin at the whole thing.

"Quite the welcome home," Hank said, still smiling widely.

"I was just introducing Tony to our little Creed," K said as she got to her feet. "Kind of went south somewhere."

"I wouldn't say that," Scott said with a smirk.

"I brought a new phone for James, like you asked," Tony said from the floor still as Lily wiped tears from her eyes and then snuggled into Billy, both of them still giggling.

"Great," Scott said. "It's high time we got him out of that lab."

K offered Tony a hand up, still laughing to herself over all of it. "I still think Billy's making things up to be ridiculous. Clearly, he's out of his mind." When Tony got to his feet, though, he pulled her tight, just to get her laughing again.

"I am out of my mind," Billy said with a small smile her way. "But, no - Aina was leading the resistance against Apocalypse. I do remember that much."

"Stop making up stories," K said, looking scandalized. "You'll give him a bigger ego. And clearly … that's just proof of Steve's influence. Come on."

Billy grinned a little wider. "Well, she _was_ leading it alongside little Angela Rogers…"

She threw her hands up at that. "Logan must have been dead in that reality then. Because … come on."

Billy's grin fell before he let out a slow breath. "Not dead. Death," he said softly, all of the wind out of his sails in an instant as he focused on the reality he'd seen there.

"Okay, you're taking the fun out again, and no one was thinking tactically. I probably could have stopped him," she said with a flash of a smile to Billy. "Still wouldn't be with this one. He's too …" She looked Tony up and down once before she rested her hand on his chest. "Dainty."

"You're killing me, K," Tony said, shaking his head at her.

She gave him a grin and then popped up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Fine. I guess if all my _other_ options were totally preoccupied with being idiots … I can think of worse ways to go."

He smirked at her. "This feels like a hollow victory, but you know what? I'm going to take it."

"Enjoy it," she said, though she took his arm to go down to see James with him. "I probably killed you."

"I definitely enjoyed _that_."

"You died happy," K decided, agreeing with a more troublemaking smile.

"Well, as long as you two have that sorted out between you," Scott muttered, shaking his head but smirking hard as he was the first to hit the elevators.

"Welcome home, Scott," K called out as they stepped up behind him.

The little group made their way down to the lab, where Logan had been taking his turn with James, the two of them talking in quiet tones until the others arrived.

"Do you feel ready to stretch your limbs, my young friend?" Hank asked with a smile.

"What's the catch?" James asked, looking overly uncomfortable.

"The catch is that you still need someone with you at all times, and you need to keep your phone on you," Scott told him.

"My phone is gone," James pointed out. "Has been since the … has been since Apocalypse." He frowned to himself at that, trying to remember when it was that he realized he didn't have it anymore.

Tony smirked and produced the new phone with a flourish. "Ta da! Brand new, hot off the presses. Specially designed and built by yours truly — _so_ exclusive that, so far, only you and I have one. You try and ditch it and it'll know, because it's keyed to pick up on your DNA, voice print, and a few other things."

James looked up at Tony and almost immediately dropped his gaze. "You didn't have to do that."

Tony frowned a bit before he shook his head. "Hey, yeah, of course I did, kiddo."

James let out a breath. "After what I pulled? No. You didn't."

"Hey, I lived, didn't I?" Tony pointed out. "You're not the first person I've worked with that tried to do me in."

"I've stabbed him," Logan said, arms crossed. "Just a way to make sure your claws work, far as I'm concerned."

"Well, that's a bit of an overstatement," Tony said, frowning at Logan, though he had a hand on James' shoulder.

"Oh. Hey, wait. I haven't stabbed him yet," K said, sounding betrayed as she looked up at Tony.

"You said I'd die _happy_. Happy. Remember that," Tony said, holding up both of his hands.

"You bet you would," she said with a nod before she went over to James and kissed his temple. "Think you can live with a few restrictions? I don't want you wandering around while people are still looking to start a fight."

James looked around the room at the gathered adults and shrugged. "Do I have a choice?"

"I'd like to think that you do," K said. "I just hope you make the right one."

"You'll also need to wear some other new tech I asked Tony to work on," Hank said, prompting Tony to take out a pair of thin, silver metal objects that looked suspiciously like bracelets.

"Same kind of thought process as the metal gloves," Tony said. "Only … these will stop you from using the claws _without_ needing to do the whole very questionable-looking full glove routine." He held them up for James to see. "And … you'll need to be able to touch the screen on the phone." He looked over to Hank. "Brought an extra pair for you to keep in the lab. You know. For Trouble One and Two."

Hank nodded at that with a small, almost-grateful smile before he simply set to work fixing the bracelets on James's wrists — and _then_ undoing the restraints, starting with his ankles and going one at a time, sure to watch James carefully as he did so.

But as soon as James was sitting up better away from the bed, K had to wrap him up in a tight hug. "Go take a shower, sweetheart," K told him. James let out a hollow laugh, leaned into the hug, and buried his face in her shoulder, clearly relieved to be able to use his arms again and glad to hold on to his mother.

"Wait, wait, no, me next," Tony said as soon as K had let James go, shoving in to almost knock James back in a hug. "Glad you're here, kid. Had me worried."

It shocked James, but he recovered fast enough to at least return it for a moment. "I ah … found another loophole in your coding. Sorry."

"Yeah, we'll talk about that later when you hand me the fix," Tony said with a smirk that had the light dancing in his eyes. "I've got it all online now, but clearly, we gotta take a third look at that."

"I don't have the fix for it," James admitted.

" _Yet_ ," Tony shot back, pointing his way.

"Sure," James said. "If you say so."

"I do," Tony said, giving James's shoulder another squeeze before he finally stepped back — though again, James wasn't without a hug very long when Hank got there next for a solid bear hug that _did_ knock James back and off balance.

And when Hank was through hugging the stuffing out of James, Scott made it a point to carefully get to his feet and take a few still shaky steps over to sit down on James' bed and pull him into the tightest hug he could manage.

"You've been through it," James said. "You don't … have to do that."

"Yes, I have," Scott said quietly. "And that's why I do, in fact, need to hug my godson."

James put his head on Scott's shoulder and simply quit arguing with him and returned the hug.

And when Scott was finally done, and K had pulled both Tony and Hank out of the room to get the finer details on the tech, James shakily got up and made it over to where his father was to initiate. But as soon as Logan got a hold of him, James simply couldn't hold it back and had to take a minute to just melt down, apologizing to him over and over. And Logan let him get it all out before he promised him that, though it wasn't alright yet, it would be.

When the three of them finally stepped out of the room, Tony took a moment to show James how the phone worked, since it was a little different than what he was used to, and he wanted to be sure that James knew what features he could access.

James was more or less silent, though, as he and Logan headed down to the locker room so he could, in fact, take a shower and put on something that belonged to him, though he nixed the shoes in favor of bare feet for the time being. And once he was cleaned up, Hank joined them for the elevator ride upstairs.

"You're still not healing anywhere near capacity, and because of that, you need to keep up on a few medications to counteract the adamantium poisoning," Hank told him. "I'll find you for blood tests if I have to, or you can make it easier on yourself and simply show up every other day."

"Alright," James said, taking the bottle of pills from him and glaring at it before the doors opened on the main floor.

Of course, James wasn't surprised to see his sisters once they got out of the elevator — and he also wasn't surprised when he was mobbed by the girls. Though he _wasn't_ expecting it when, beside Chance and John, there was a tiny blonde who decided to run in with the group of girls to hug him around his legs.

"Hi!" She beamed up at him when she noticed him looking at her. "You wook just wike my Wolvie!"

James automatically put his hand on the top of her head and didn't hide the look of shock. "Yeah, I do. He's my dad," he said before he tipped his head to the side, obviously confused at the scent. "Who are you?"

"I'm Lily,' she said carefully, her smile turning a bit shy as she waved at him. "Mama says you my brover."

"Mama?" James asked, glancing up at his sisters. "What's the story, really?"

"Blame Billy," Elin said with a smirk. "He found her in another dimension; she's our half sister."

Lily started bouncing in place, pulling on his hand, and James let out a breath and picked her up so he could look her in the face a little better, though that didn't work well when she instead melted into his shoulder and started to pat his neck. "So, another little sister then, huh?"

"You'll never keep up with us," Malin told him with a troublemaking smile.

"Never was dumb enough to believe I could," James shot back.

"More fun that way anyhow. Hi," Chance said with a smile before he made his way over to get in a one-armed hug — and let John lean _way_ over to give James a slobbery kiss.

"What's the deal?" James asked when Chance got himself upright away from him again, though John clearly wanted to stick with his brother. "Is this a coordinated attack or what?"

"It's more of a 'no one has been able to hug their brother for a really long time and they're all going through withdrawals' kind of thing," Chance said with a smirk. When John wriggled some more, he shook his head and stepped in. "Here, trade ya. I'll take Lily."

"I don't … okay," James said when John threw himself at him, and for just a second, Lily didn't want to do as Chance had planned. "Feels like an attack."

Chance smirked as he finally managed to finagle Lily into coming with him by setting her on his shoulders so that she was taller than everyone else — and could remind them all of this fact. "Probably."

But John only really wanted to snuggle for a minute or so before he wanted _down,_ and James started to try and sidestep around the chatting group.

Of course, that didn't exactly work out as he'd planned when Kurt arrived in a poof on hearing the news that James was up and broke into a delighted grin as he hugged James tightly around the shoulders. "It's so good to see you up!"

"Yeah, not sure how long I can handle it," James admitted before he ran his hand over his hair.

"Yes, well, you'll have to forgive us for the time being," Kurt said with a smile. "I'm sure it will die down soon."

James stared at him for just a moment. "I … don't believe you."

"No?" Kurt smiled a little wider. "Well, I may be off on my estimate of 'soon'..."

"You have plans, don't you," James asked quietly, looking like he was half dreading the answer.

"Well, if I want to steal my best friend's son away in an inducer for some time on the lake, then that's my business, isn't it?" Kurt said with a dramatic little huff.

James pulled out his phone and handed it to Kurt. "Pretty sure that's got a tether on it."

Kurt smiled at that. "Then I'll certainly see you shortly."

"Why can't you see me now?" James asked. "Get it over with."

"I can, and I am, but I would be murdered in my sleep if I deprived Annie of seeing you herself before I steal you away."

James frowned and shook his head. "I'm … you're not stealing me away. I'm just relocating my house arrest from one room to the next."

Kurt chuckled at that, though he didn't get to say much else when there was a clearly excited noise from nearby — and Kurt barely got out of the way before Annie nearly tackled James in a hug, knocking him back several steps.

"Oh, I'm _so_ glad to see you!" she gushed.

"Hi Annie," James said softly as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling so _guilty_ from all he felt that he'd cost her that he could hardly breathe.

"We're having Scott's favorite tonight, but if you give me a few minutes, I'm sure I can whip up something for you — you look so pale!"

"No, no," James said, trying and failing to put a little distance between them. "Please don't worry about anything like that for me. Everyone's already gone to too much trouble."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Annie assured him.

"No, really," James replied before he changed his tactics and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a little squeeze, sounding desperate. " _Please don't_." He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he honestly couldn't stand seeing her trying to help him when he felt like she was the last person that should be _kind_ to him.

Annie let out a sigh before she returned the gesture with a kiss on the cheek before she finally let him out of the hug, though she still held him out at arms length to look him over a little better, tutting to herself about how skinny he looked, though that had him frowning. Yes, he'd lost mass, and yes, Hank had him on a feeding tube, but …. That couldn't possibly be the most important thing on her mind. By a stretch.

He just hadn't been around to see the way Annie had been throwing herself into taking care of everyone to make herself busy or the fact that she was all but tripping over herself trying to take care of the teenagers in the house particularly. But she could see that he was uncomfortable, and to her mind, he was simply overwhelmed, so instead, she told Lily where the chocolate chip cookies were cooling off in the kitchen and stood back to watch the fireworks.


	8. Warden Wagner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Horsemen are being looked after by those who love them.

After Annie had finally let James _go_ after another quick kiss on the cheek, and Lily acted as the world's best distraction, James managed to slip around the fringes of the group and then silently went up the stairs to his room — or where Sadie had said his room was set up.

The Howlett suite was much the same as it had been before, but there were some notable differences in how the rooms were laid out — and of course, fresh drywall and paint had it smelling brand new, which, technically it was.

There was a new desk with a brand new laptop from Tony, and a bunch of new hard drives were stacked up in one corner. Not to mention a whole box full of flash drives that were just waiting for him to use. All of the photos that he'd had hanging on the walls had been destroyed in the attack on the mansion, but Kurt had left a note on his desk that said there were some new ones on order already.

Looking at the new version of his old room had James more than a little overwhelmed, and like him, even though it was the same, there were some serious differences. Like the fact that the _katanagake_ was empty, and when he considered it, he didn't see his father's swords displayed, either. It was subtle, but still a solid reminder of a moment of weakness that he wasn't going to shake any time soon even if he _did_ manage to get away from that line of thinking, which he had _not_.

He closed the door behind himself and then crossed the room, still taking in his surroundings. He frowned when he dropped onto the bed at how much it sank down. For an instant, he wondered what was wrong with his mattress, but then he saw the metal bracelet on his wrist, and the errant thought disappeared. For a fleeting moment, he'd forgotten how much had changed about himself. But the bracelets were a reminder of the metal hidden under his own skin. With a disheartened sigh, he rolled over onto his stomach, hugging his pillow. It wasn't much, and he still wasn't healing properly at all, but he'd been restrained and kept mostly isolated for the last six weeks, and with all the healing he still had ahead of him, he was fried already. He honestly needed the peace and quiet away from the sounds of the lab and the privacy of finally being able to be _alone_.

He was comfortable and even almost drifting off when he felt the bed move an instant after he could smell brimstone, and the pink smoke gave away who it was.

"What are you doing?" James asked sleepily as he picked up his head and turned her way.

"Don't worry; I brought my own blanket," Kari said as she climbed in and made herself comfortable beside him.

"I wasn't … that wasn't what I was asking." He shifted over just a little bit to give her some room and pulled over the other pillow to hand to her.

"Well," she said slowly before she glanced up at him, "I decided that if you were going to do something stupid while everyone is asleep, you'll have to either leave me or make me wake up to you dead." She didn't sugarcoat it or dance around it, holding his gaze steadily even as she pressed the pillow down to her liking.

He stared at her for a long moment. "Kari …" James let out a sigh and propped himself up on one elbow. "That's not fair."

Kari raised an eyebrow his way. "Why not?" she challenged.

He looked properly ashamed of himself before he sat up further. "I don't have a plan." he hedged as he thought it over. "Alright, I didn't have one before, either. It … I just did it last time."

Kari frowned his way for a moment before she sat up with him. "I don't want you to 'just do it' now either," she said simply. "I care about you too much to leave it to chance."

"I just want to _sleep_ and be alone," James said before he eased himself back down onto his stomach. "I'm already set up to have a babysitter all the time."

"Well, you really don't need to be alone right now, so consider me the night shift," Kari said simply as she settled back down and curled up. "See you in the morning."

James turned his head her way to peek up at her with one eye. "Really."

She smirked and didn't even open her eyes. "Are you _shy_ , James?"

"About what?"

"I brought my own blanket, but if you're going to be a prude about it, I'll tell your mom that you need the refresher course in the birds and bees," Kari said, her smile turning a bit more impish.

"I don't understand why I need a twenty-four hour watch," James grumbled.

"I'm not even watching you; I'm just making sure you don't do something stupid and _hurt me_ ," Kari said in a perfectly matter-of-fact tone. "Do you need me to spell out why you need someone with you?"

"I won't _have_ to do anything to myself," James said in just as a matter-of-fact manner. "Your dad'll drown me when he takes me to the lake if you're going to sleep in here."

"Lies," Kari said. "He's too happy to have you around."

He closed his eyes and snuggled into his pillow, though he didn't turn away from her. "I'll just tell him you couldn't keep your hands to yourself."

"If you say so, James," she said with a sedate smile as she relaxed and pulled the blanket up around her shoulders to go to sleep.

* * *

When James woke up the next morning, he realized that he'd barely moved from where he'd dropped onto his bed, but there was an arm across his back, and Kari had wrapped her tail around his ankle.

He found out quickly that it was her first warning system, since as soon as he shifted his leg, she was awake and frowning at him accusingly. "What were you going to do if I wasn't sleeping so soundly?" James asked in a rough sort of voice before he readjusted his arms and resettled in.

"Probably not slept too well," Kari replied, though she did at least let go of his ankle before she half-burrowed in. "Are you getting up, then?" She watched him as he settled into place, more on his side instead of face down, but still with his eyes closed.

"To be honest, I'm kind of enjoying the option of being able to turn," he replied. "Or use my arm for a pillow." To accentuate his point, he pushed his pillow off the bed and doubled down on his snuggle.

"You have such low standards," she teased.

"I don't know," he argued thickly. "More like realistic expectations."

Kari smirked at that. "So, what are we going to do today?"

He frowned and finally cracked open an eye to look up at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I know my dad wanted to steal you away for a trip out on the lake, but if you can squeeze in some time with your best friend…"

He shook his head at that. "I'm not going anywhere, Kari. I told your Dad I'm on a tether, so I'm just … here."

"Okay, so… we can ride horses?"

He let out a little scoffing sound. "They're not going to cut me loose like that. That would be idiotic."

"Well, you're not going to just sit in his room all day. _That_ would be idiotic," Kari said, matching his scoffing tone.

"They don't trust me, and they have no reason to. I'm just … going to stay here and try to not make it any worse than I already have."

"So you're just going to stay inside. I know you're not supposed to be alone, but that's no reason to stay in one room. I thought the whole point was to make you feel less trapped!"

"Oh, is that what the point was?" he asked in his most sarcastic tone.

"Yes, it was," she said evenly.

"So what am I supposed to do then, do _you_ think?"

"I think you're supposed to be _James_ ," she said, readjusting the way she was sitting so that she was propped up on both of her arms to look at him. "Not this shadow of yourself hiding in his room. I think I'd like James back, even a little bit."

"I don't know that's even _possible_ … can I at _least_ get some alone time to change, or were you planning on supervising me stripping too?"

Kari smirked at that. "Oh, I suppose," she said. She waited for James to get out of the bed before she simply pulled her blanket up over her head to hide.

He stood there for a moment and stared at her. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you alone time," she said from under the blanket.

James continued to stare at her before speaking in a clipped tone. "Am I on. A. Timer?"

"No, but I'd really like to be able to breathe away from the blankets, so…"

"Oh, my God," he muttered before he headed over to find something to wear. "I can't believe you." He rushed to get changed and waited until he'd pulled on his shirt last and then whipped the old one at her. "Who do I have to thank for the nth degree here? My parents already took all the _sharp objects_ out of here."

She poked her head out from underneath the blanket and smiled sweetly at him. "You act like I have to be prompted to take care of someone I care about," she said.

"This is a little ridiculous; you have to admit at least that much. Even Dad gave me privacy to get dressed — and he took all of the weaponry out of here."

"It is," Kari said. "But James, you scared me half to death when I heard what happened. This is just as much for me as it is for you," she told him honestly. "Please."

He let out a breath and held up both hands. "How about I swear that I'll never do anything here that would make anyone upset? Even a little."

Kari watched him for a long moment before she nodded slowly. "Alright. Swear on your honor."

"I don't think I have any of that left," he said dryly.

"Do it."

"Fine. On my honor," James said, though he clearly thought she was cracked.

But it seemed to help Kari significantly, and she let her shoulders drop before she teleported over to wrap him in a hug. "Thank you, James."

"You're welcome. What do you want to do now, Warden Wagner?"

"Well, if you're going to start pulling that, I'm going to have to suggest a jailbreak movie."

He scrunched up his nose at that. "I think maybe I'll get some coffee before you put me to sleep again. It's been a while since I had any."

"Which is positively a shame," Kari said with a smile before she teleported them both down to the kitchen and tried not to laugh when the 'port had James staggering sideways and looking for balance. Then she teleported herself to her room to change once she saw that there were others downstairs too.

James looked around the room as he kept one hand on the wall, then let out a little breath before he headed over to get a mug, planning to just hop up on the counter and stay there to avoid the table and those around it. But clearly, that plan was destined to fail from the beginning when everyone there _wanted_ to take a turn at keeping an eye on him.

Tyler was the one to get there first, though, and he didn't look pleased with him. Still.

"You aren't going to give me a reason to have to come back here," he said in a tone that was not a question.

A flicker of irritation that James hadn't expected sparked up, and he met Tyler's gaze with a vindictive glare. "I sure won't."

"Good," Tyler said, his lips pulled back a bit. "I got a pregnant wife at home; I don't have time for you to be stupid."

James leaned forward slightly and set his mug down next to him. "No, you don't. And it wouldn't matter where you were. If I go that route again, _there won't be time_ for anyone to worry about it. And you know it. So mind your own damn business."

Tyler's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward in return, a growl rising up in his throat. "I _am_ minding my business," he said.

James just held his gaze for a long moment. "You wasted your time here. You should have been with them weeks ago."

Tyler growled at him deep in the back of his throat. "Keep talking like that and I'm moving in."

"Then I'll just quit talking, but you're the one sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. _I'm_ not going to interfere with anything."

"You better not," Tyler said with his eyes narrowed.

The staredown continued until Logan cleared his throat from the doorway, his arms crossed as it was clear he'd been watching the two for a little while. "No, this doesn't look familiar at _all._ "

Tyler let out a deep growl before he turned on his heel. "Just saying goodbye."

Logan wouldn't let him pass, though, and he was sure to get Tyler to look him in the eyes. "I'm on it."

Tyler met his gaze for a long moment before he nodded once. "Good."

Logan watched Tyler pass before he headed over to James and refilled his mug to watch him for a moment. "You can stop poking the Creed any time. I know it's easy, and you know his buttons. But you need to stop."

James let out a little sigh and picked up his mug again. "He's leaving. Shouldn't be an issue." But the young man didn't exactly leave his father feeling like it was any kind of a victory — or even a ceasefire.

* * *

"You know you're projecting, right? Tristan could hear you as soon as you got close."

Tyler hadn't even taken off his coat before Tammy had taken his hand to lead him inside, her gaze soft as she looked him over. There were gray streaks in her hair, and he could hear their kids in the next room, but for the moment, all he could see was the same expression she always used to wear when they were teenagers and a mission on the junior squad was going south.

He stepped into her embrace and tucked her under his chin, wrapping himself completely around her as he rested his head on hers. "I'm just glad to be home," he admitted.

"I'd be more convinced of that if your head wasn't still in Westchester."

"Tammy…"

She looked up at him and took a step back, both hands raised. "I know, I know," she said. "I'm worried about him too." Then, she took a step back into him and took his hand to rest it on her already growing stomach. "But you've got a lot of _good_ to think about here. Don't forget that."

He smiled and leaned over to kiss her. "What would I do without you?"

"Get lost in drama, apparently," she teased.

Tyler chuckled and then swept her off her feet and into a long, deep kiss. "Someone told me I should spoil my pregnant wife," he said rather than rise to her bait.

"Smart someone," she agreed, rearranging herself with her arms around his neck — and Tristan quietly took his sister to their room to play so the two of them could get some privacy.

* * *

James wasn't the only one to get one of the new tethered phones that Tony had designed for them. Tony had been sure to create them for each of the Horsemen, so that in the middle of all of the public uproar about the decision not to punish the kids, their parents would have a way to keep track of them and make sure that they were safe. It was a good enough idea that Scott had even made it known, in a closed session, that the four of them would be closely monitored for a time period to prove that they weren't going to revert to Apocalypse's wishes.

Leslie Ann hadn't been able to keep from watching the United Nations debate, even if her parents had told her not to. But she was a grown woman, and she'd been through it all before with the Leslie Initiative and everything else. She wanted to know what was coming for her.

And now that it was over and the ICJ wasn't coming after them… Leslie Ann was almost waiting for the other shoe to drop.

She was standing out in the garden, tending to a few of her favorites — a pair of tiger lillies that had come with a note from Amadi saying that she was doing better and hoped Leslie Ann was alright — when David caught up to her with a phone in hand.

"Hey!" the grinning, dark-haired technopath called out as he caught up with her. "This just came in from Stark Industries. New phone — pretty much all of the perks you'd expect from him, totally secure, all that — also, probably not a good idea to lose it because it's got a built-in alarm system so if you're separated from it, we're all going to assume you've been attacked or something and go on the warpath…"

Leslie Ann turned to stare at him with her eyebrows raised. "Woah, that's… a lot at once," she said.

"Well, it's a pretty cool invention," David said with a grin. "It's got a way to monitor vitals, so if you're having a panic attack, someone can come help. And — hey, there's one downside, though. You can't text the other Horsemen or call them."

Leslie Ann frowned, thinking of Amadi. "Why not?"

"People are kind of all up in arms about the four of you, and the _last_ thing we want is some kind of accusation of collusion."

Leslie Ann frowned at that as she took the phone from him. "Alright," she said slowly.

"Listen," David said with an almost sheepish smile. "I know you guys aren't going to do anything, so if you really do need to check on someone … you can go through me. In the meantime, how about I show you all the features?"

Leslie Ann nodded and gestured for him to sit with her on a bench in the garden. "You're the tech genius behind that website about the X-Men, right?"

"Yes, yes, I am," he said with a little nod before he cracked open the case he'd brought with him. "And you're the doctor that decided to actually help save the world — Apocalypse notwithstanding."

She couldn't help but shake her head with a little blush. "That's not really true," she said. "I'm a cop's daughter; that's just… me."

"Excuse me, Amazon, but like you said, I am the guy that's been running the websites, and from the stories I've seen coming in, you have been helping to save the world. Even if you have been maybe overshadowed by little people like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor." He paused and turned her way. "He sent a flower for you, by the way. Thor, that is."

"He did?" Leslie Ann asked, honestly shocked.

"Yeah, we haven't been able to pick it up to move it, but that was the 'thing in the foyer' that Rachel was telling you about earlier? She said there was no rush for you to get it, but Thor sent you some … Asgardian flower."

"Okay, that… is way more interesting than a phone, no offense," Leslie Ann said with a smile.

David couldn't help but smile at her. "Yeah, I probably should have waited to tell you about that, huh?" He drew in a deep breath and held it before he gestured at the phone. "I guess I'll try to be quick so I can get out of your way, then."

"You don't want to see the Asgardian plant with me?" she asked with a small smile. "It sounds impressive."

He smiled again and tipped his head to the side. "Well, sure, I guess, but I do have to get you through this first." He paused. "But … if you promise to pay close attention, maybe I can tell you about it on the way?"

"I suppose if I can sit through a decade of university classes, I can listen to a phone lecture," she said with a small, teasing smile.

"Yeah, school wasn't really my strong point," he admitted before he simply started to show her the features and explained a little bit about how it worked restrictions wise. "I'll transfer all your contacts so you don't have to worry about that too."

And Leslie Ann really was listening and nodding along to all of it right up until they got to the foyer and she let out a little sound of surprise and delight when she saw the bright, electric blue flower in the huge pot. The petals were at least the length of her arm, and the interior of the petals turned a sort of turquoise closer to the stem.

"Wow," she whispered quietly as she reached out to touch the petals, smiling to herself as she stroked them. "Wow," she said again as the sensation sent tingles down her spine — the plant was slightly empathic, at least enough to be felt even without empathic abilities. She walked around the plant a few times, still wide-eyed as she ran her hands over it and whispered "wow" a few more times.

She was surprised, too, to find that there was even an envelope beside the plant, in Thor's almost calligraphic script.

_I hope that this finds you in better spirits than you were last I saw you. The tower isn't quite the same without your lovely plants or your cheerful disposition. Please, take care of this while you're away from us. You should know that though our worlds are different, there are common threads through both. I look forward to joining you in battle again. - Thor_

Leslie Ann stared at the letter for some time with one hand over her mouth and her eyes brimming with tears before she simply turned to David and hugged him — because he was the closest huggable thing. She let him go quickly and cleared her throat, and she grinned at David sheepishly. "I just… he's so sweet. More people should know that about the God of Thunder. I can't believe he's so nice, and I _lived_ with him."

"Yeah, that's... not what I expected."

"He's the one that stopped me, you know," Leslie Ann told him quietly.

"I _did_ know that, actually."

"Right, yeah, you probably watched the UN broadcast and all of that," Leslie Ann said, shaking her head. "I think this is his way of saying 'bygones', seeing as I tried to drain the life out of him, and he made me literally sick." She looked over at David with a little smile. "Like I said, he's very sweet. I've seen him take down entire armies, but he knows what Kamala's kids' favorite foods are."

"Yeah, I saw a lot of that, and we were kind of flooded with submissions from people that you _helped_ before all that. They were swearing up and down you guys weren't in your right minds, and I was scrambling to keep them in order and all lined up."

Leslie Ann turned his way in surprise. "Really? Even after everything we did?"

"They were reacting to the UN saying it was you acting of your own free will, and well... You four kind of broke the internet."

Leslie Ann couldn't help but smile at that. "My friend Jana would have liked that. She used to love your website."

"Yeah, there were people that were talking about you back when you were in the X-Men and people that had met you when you were in the Avengers … Amadi had a lot of students that had gone through LA that came out of the woodworks talking about what a great kid she was. I know you two kind of got along. There were pictures attached from some of the students."

Leslie Ann nodded. "It's hard to find someone who understands what it's like to have an entire force of nature at your fingertips," she said. "It's humbling — and Amadi handles it with so much grace."

He shrugged at that. "Well, she does have the original weather witch for a mentor and mother."

Leslie Ann nodded. "Storm taught me a lot when she was in Westchester. She taught me how to control myself and how to respect the forces that I was reaching into." She glanced his way. "What about you? I heard that you were close with Kitty…"

"I was," he said, losing some of his smile. "And it's been hard here without her." He gestured openly for a moment. "I knew James for a semester, too. He had an epic prank war with Peter Quill that … well, the marks on the ceiling in the hangar still won't come off."

Leslie Ann couldn't help but smile at that. "He's been like that forever. I remember when he was born — and Sying too. That whole group was so tight when they were growing up. It was kind of adorable."

"They were good kids," David said. "All reports considered, too."

"Yeah," Leslie Ann said quietly. She trailed her hand over the petals of the plant once more before she turned David's way. "Can I see the marks on the hangar?" she asked. "I think I could use a good story like that."

He gave her a little smile and gestured for her to follow as he started to launch into how James had finally taken it a step too far and rigged the Milano.

* * *

Even though the Horsemen were no longer on the hook at the UN, Sying still felt better getting away for a while with his family on a trip to Hala. They usually went for a little while every year, but it just so happened that it was right around his parents' anniversary, so the idea was a trip to the stars for the whole family.

They even met up with the Guardians for a little while, to the delight of Celeste in particular, who had been writing Jayce every week since the Quill family left.

They met up on Hala, where Melody was thrilled to see E'tann again, too — which meant that Noh was a bit grumpy as he realized that his girls were starting to pair off.

"It's not quite the same as with Sying," he muttered into Jubilee's hair as they sat alone together, finding a quiet place on Hala for their anniversary. "He and Krissy have known each other their whole lives, grown up together… this feels different, and I'm not entirely sure I like it."

"Oh, I see … but it's _okay_ when it's a strange prince from _Hala_ instead of a boy you know inside and out," Jubilee said, nodding slowly.

"That's not what I'm saying," Noh argued. "With E'tann, there is _distance_ …"

"And there's no distance with Jayce? While he's out cruising the galaxy?" She tipped her head to the side slightly, blinking up at him. "Or is it just that they're girls and your little boy going out and picking up an Elf is some kind of dumb … male thing?"

Noh shook his head lightly and wrapped her up in a kiss. "I never said any of those things, my Jubilee. I'll thank you not to put words in my mouth." He shook his head. "I just meant that we know Sying will stay close to home, and our girls seem to be looking as far away as possible."

"You don't have to say it when you're all tense and worked up — and what makes you think our girls won't enjoy being out in the stars?" Jubilee had to tease. "Or are you going to be all overprotective? Even Wolvie was okay with Kitty and me going to space …"

Noh shook his head at her and simply started to kiss her gently. "I think I'm allowed to be protective of my beautiful girls. Especially when they look so much like you."

She reached up and covered his mouth with one hand. "Excuse me. Was that _you_ putting E'tann through his paces back in Westchester?"

"Please, Jubilee, I was acting as an ambassador at that time," Noh said. "Telling the crown prince what happened to our home."

"Riiiiight," she said, nodding slowly before she turned on her heel and started to bounce away.

Noh shook his head before he broke into a little laugh and zipped over to simply pick her up and scoop her into a kiss. "I'm sorry — would you prefer that I spend all of my time preventing any dating opportunities for our girls and running all suitors into exhaustion? Because I can," he teased.

"I would prefer that you show the same level of overprotectiveness across the board and _not_ give so much favoritism just because your racist Kree tendencies are showing."

Noh blinked at her for a moment before he let out a breath and shook his head. "I'm deeply sorry, Jubilee. That was not my intent."

"Uh huh. No issues with the Kree prince or even the _part demon_ but straight up human … nooooooo," she said, shivering to emphasize her point. "So grody."

"Jayce is a mutant," Noh pointed out. "And I don't mean to give favoritism, Jubilee, really."

She shrugged one shoulder. "Uh-huh, we'll see."

Noh laughed and kissed her gently. "And what about you, my darling Jubilee? Are you quite prepared to see your daughters dating such stunning young men?" he teased her.

"Yes," she said, nodding her head and sticking her nose up in the air. "Good for them if they find sweet boys that aren't total bozos at her age. Lord knows I didn't."

"Well, I was not there at that time," he teased.

"Of course … I was busy. Travelling the world kicking bad guys butts with Wolvie …"

"Lucky for me, or someone likely would have snatched you up for themselves."

"As if," Jubilee said, rolling her eyes.

Noh chuckled and kissed her lightly. "Yes, this is true. We were meant to be, and there is no substitute."

"Not according to Billy," she said in a sing-song tone. "I heard about the alternate reality possibilities …"

"Nonsense," Noh insisted. "This is the best one."

"Not arguing that …. Just saying there are other possibilities. You were miserable in every single one of them, of course. Lost little soul …" She rolled her shoulder up to her ear. "Wandering the cosmos alone …"

"Oh, certainly," he chuckled before he simply started to carry her off. "But for you and me, Jubilee, we have found perfection."

"Pretty sure that's the case for all of us? So how about you let the girls find their way?" She kissed the end of his nose and gave him a broad smile. "They can look into their heads and know if they need their faces rearranged."

"Oh, alright," Noh allowed. "I suppose we'll just have to find something else to do with our time here in the stars, then…"

"What _ever_ shall we do?"


	9. Where This Road Will Take You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Billy employs some shock therapy.

It really started to feel like absolutely everyone was stopping by to check on James, and that feeling didn't ease up at all when _Daken_ stopped in. Not to see Logan ... not directly anyhow.

"Why wasn't Logan with Cyclops at the UN?" he asked in lieu of hello at the door.

Kate raised an eyebrow his way. "Hello to you too. And Logan was busy," she said.

Daken gave her a dry look. "Since when is he too busy to play bodyguard?"

"Since his son was Death," Kate said, readjusting the way she was holding Chelsea as she stood in the doorway. "Or didn't you hear that part?"

He frowned lightly at that, his eyes narrowed a bit more. "I did, but I thought it was part of some cosmic rite of passage, the way things tend to go."

"You're hilarious," Kate said dryly. "No, it wasn't, and it sucked. We've been dealing with the aftermath over here for a while." She balanced Chelsea on her hip and tipped her head to the side. "Were you worried?"

"I'd like to see them," he said, stepping past her so she could close the door.

"Who?" Kate asked. "Don't play the pronoun game, Daken."

He looked at her as if she hadn't been paying attention. "Logan and James. Of course."

"You'll have to ask your stepmother," Kate said. "The kid's been through a _lot_."

He looked as if that wasn't a surprise at all. "Fine, I'll find her on my own, thanks." He barely looked her way as he simply headed past her to look for K. Or Logan. Or whoever he could find right away. But as luck would have it, he nearly bumped into James first, who was in the kitchen with Chance. "What happened?" Daken asked, totally ignoring Chance.

"Why do you _care_?" James shot back.

"Be evasive; I'll figure it out sooner or later anyhow, I thought you might want to just tell me rather than leave _his_ father's pasteurized version stand as fact."

"Hate to break it to you, but that's what happened," James said, half glaring at his older brother.

"No," Daken said, shaking his head. "How did he break through? You actually do have a harder head than most. That _is_ genetic. And don't tell me it's his mutant ability. The only way he got through to our father was because he _volunteered_."

James stared back at him for a moment, knowing he didn't want to get into the details with his half-brother. "I wasn't myself. Car accident."

Daken stepped forward and reached right past Chance's head to grab a coffee cup and pour himself a mug. "And now?"

"And now you're in our kitchen about a few months too late," Chance said with his arms crossed.

He looked down his nose at Chance. "The chances of getting into this place with your little alien watchdog's panties knotted up with all that mess going on were slim to none. I've been doing my own kind of recon in the meantime." Before he could quite expand on that thought, though, he suddenly started to float about two feet off the ground, and his arms were thrown out to the side.

"Leave him alone!" Billy shouted as he stepped into the kitchen, his eyes and hands glowing as he looked outright furious.

"I'm only talking with my brother," Daken growled out, staring at Billy as if he was looking for a fight.

"Let him go," Billy said, his hands clenched in fists as he stalked forward.

"I'm not _influencing_ anyone," Daken insisted, though the accusation had him considering doing something to alter the atmosphere in the room.

"Oh, okay," K said as she stepped into the room with Kate, Chelsea, and Lily peeking around the corner. "Space pants, what did he do? Maybe I can help." She walked forward and rested a hand on Billy's arm.

Billy continued to glare at Daken, his eyes shining with his power. "He's got Noh in his thrall," he said in almost a snarl.

"Noh's on Hala with Jubilee," K said gently.

"No, he's not. I saw him," Billy insisted.

At that, K took a few steps forward and stood in front of Daken, facing Billy. "No, not this time," she said evenly. "He left a few days ago. He's on Hala with Jubilee, Sying, Krissy, and the girls. On my word."

Billy stared at her for a moment longer. "I saw it," he said, though this time not nearly as confidently.

"I'm sure you did, but you didn't see it in our reality," K told him. "I wouldn't stop you toasting Akihiro if he deserved it, but this time, all he's done is forget his manners in a rush to find out things that he _could_ have gotten from a phone call." She looked over her shoulder at Daken, who let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

Billy held her gaze for a long time, obviously struggling to reconcile what he'd seen with what K was saying.

"Tell him what you've been up to, Akihiro," K said, not turning Daken's way.

"I've … been dealing with some of the more independent weapons programs while the attention was focused on the UN," he replied.

Billy watched Daken for a long time before he finally let him down, and the glow disappeared from around his hands.

K gave him a little smile, stepped back toward Billy, and put her arms around his neck in a hug. "It's okay. Him helping the good guys is enough to send anyone into a spiral. I know."

"I was so sure… Noh was so twisted up," Billy said.

"If he is, he's probably enjoying some alone time with Jubes," K whispered.

Billy finally let out a breath and turned Daken's way. "I… owe you an apology."

"Just tell me that what I've been doing will actually help," Daken said. "Some of those blueprints were not very friendly."

"I kind of recruited him," K whispered low so that really, only Billy, Daken, and James could hear it. "It made sense while they all knew where we were."

Billy nodded slowly and closed his eyes to try to focus. "Yes," he said at last. "It's helping."

"Then am I going to get torn to pieces if I continue to talk to my brother?" Daken asked, still simply watching Billy.

"No," Billy said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I'm ... I have the realities wrong."

Daken smirked. "Then I can only hope that the me in whatever reality you saw doesn't cross your path."

Billy chuckled and nodded. "I'd go now to stop that Daken, but I'm trying to limit my interference to just this reality. At least until I get a better handle on my powers."

"If it makes you feel any better, that couldn't possibly be a long-term game," Daken said. "And Noh, I'm sure, would get revenge. In fact, the only reason I never did that in _our_ time together is because it was too easy."

"That really _doesn't_ make me feel any better," Billy said.

He shrugged. "If it isn't a challenge, it wouldn't hold my interest."

"Stop. Talking," K said, giving him a severe look. "What is wrong with you?"

"So many things," Billy said in an undertone.

"True story," she agreed before she headed over to take Daken by the arm and lead him out of the kitchen. "Carry on. I've got this one."

But that just left Billy, Kate, the kids, and the two older boys standing there staring at each other.

"So," Kate said, smiling Billy's way, "you decided to go all defender of virtues, huh?"

"It… seemed like a good idea."

"How long has this been happening?" James asked, frowning at Billy. He hadn't been around enough to know what had happened, and besides that, Billy's problems had started before he'd been caught by Apocalypse.

"Right before it all started," Billy said, smiling grimly as he pointed at his head. "Apocalypse had to deal with me so I couldn't warn anyone."

James turned his head, his gaze on an unfocused point. "That was the collar that Kurt wanted me to make, right?"

Billy frowned and nodded slowly. "Yeah. Tyler was able to turn off the powers for a while, I think. It's hard to remember right." He rubbed his forehead. "I couldn't turn it off, even when I was dreaming."

"So …" James started out very slowly. "The whole time we were out raising hell and torturing people, you were … flickering through different realities?"

"Not flickering," Billy said. "I just kept seeing the realities. I stayed where I was, but I was … I kept seeing horrible realities. It wasn't like how I usually see the different possibilities. They were all-encompassing. And it was every world where he took over. Every world where my friends and family died…"

"And Apocalypse did that to you … so that you wouldn't interfere," James said … just as slow, but much quieter than his last question.

Billy nodded. "It was sort of like what he did to Kitty. A power surge that …." He rubbed his hands through his hair. "I'm… a little bit insane…"

"Why is it still …" James was frowning harder at him.

Billy shook his head. "No, I have my normal power level back." He looked up at James for a moment and looked truly apologetic. "But after weeks and weeks of not knowing where I was… I can't … I still forget where I am," he said quietly.

"Is that how you found my new little sister, then?" James asked, glancing over to where he knew Lily was still trying to sneak a peek.

Billy nodded. "I saw her…. Creed was going to kill her."

"That can't be helping," James said quietly. "if you're going to other realities to bring at-risk kids back here. I'm not complaining … I just … gotta ask."

"No, it's not helping," Billy said. "I'm trying to make sure I only step in when it's this reality, but I still get them mixed up."

"It's a little different look — the insanity on a Demiurge," Kate said, rubbing her hand over Billy's back. "It's alright; we're getting better."

James looked very thoughtful as he watched Billy, but he didn't speak up at all, instead going back to get a cup of coffee in time for Chance to remind him to take the meds before Sadie came to remind him. Again.

But Billy stayed in the kitchen as the group slowly dispersed, watching James in return until the others were gone and he spoke slowly. "What he did wouldn't have worked for Vanessa," he said quietly. "Not quite the same way. She'd still be seeing the future, but she would know it was _this_ reality and still be able to warn people."

"Doesn't matter," James said in response, his gaze on his coffee cup and his features twisted as he tried to control his reaction. He wasn't prepared to do that. Not when his dreams had shifted slightly. He was no longer dreaming about the fire all the time. Sometimes, it was trying and failing to save Vanessa. Sometimes, it was just her lifeless body hanging upside down with a vacant gaze and a broken neck.

"It _does_ matter," Billy said quietly. He closed his eyes to concentrate. "There… I can see a reality in which he did that to her. But Sinister wanted her gone."

"Please don't do that," James said very softly, on the verge of tears just due to subject matter. Everyone had been so careful to avoid talking about Vanessa that _now_ , James didn't know how to address anything to do with her, let alone the labyrinth of what if scenarios.

"But I know you wanted to ask," Billy said.

"I don't want you taking any risks on screwing up your focus. Not for something that can't be changed. She's gone. That's all there is to it." James had slipped straight back to anguished and heartbroken. No one had tried to really talk to him about Vanessa except for his parents and his sister, and he was under the impression that everyone would rather just … forget about her and how upset James was that she was gone. She was just one girl, after all. One girl whose only impact on the group at large was really _just_ James. And so many, many more were killed by his actions, let alone what the four of them and Apocalypse's followers had done. He knew the three were upset by those they'd murdered, but James had been killing people almost nonstop for the whole time he'd been under Apocalypse's thrall. One girl that had no family … no ties … she didn't have the impact that the other deaths had, and James _knew_ that they just didn't care.

At least, he thought that was the case.

"It's alright," Billy said. "She meant the world to you. And I know you wanted to know." He closed his eyes and concentrated. "In that world, Vanessa went insane. Like I did. But you took care of her when you came back, even if she never fully recovered."

James was deathly quiet. "And how many of those realities did you see that I didn't come back?" he asked at last. He didn't want to talk about Vanessa. Not like that, at least. Not with Billy.

"Dozens," Billy admitted. "Dozens where your sister was Death, too."

James gestured to his head. "They cut me open to get rid of him. What happens if they missed something?"

Billy held out his hand to James. "I can look. I know there are realities where they did miss it, and it was every bit as horrible as you can imagine. But if you want the reassurance, I can look again."

He thought about it for a moment and then just shook his head, knowing that if Apocalypse _could_ come back through him, James wouldn't fight it — he didn't want to — and that scenario would likely end in his death. "No, nevermind."

But Billy reached over to grab James' arm, his eyes already glowing. " _LookintoJames lookintoJames LookintoJames_ ," he chanted to direct the spell. His hand glowed where it was touching James for just a moment before he smiled James's way. "Well, you're filled with all of the same emotions that he tapped into to overtake you, but as for Apocalypse himself, you're totally clean. If that makes you feel any better."

"Not really," James admitted. "Thanks for trying, though."

"It's the least I can do. I've seen so many realities where you were Death — and where you were dead. I don't want this to be one of those realities," he said. "You have so much to do here."

"If you say so," James said.

Billy leaned forward. "I shouldn't warn you… I was looking ahead and… it's not an answer to your question but… you need to look out for Elin and Chance. I've seen you save them… I still haven't quite sorted out what it is that got them there, but they were in it deep."

"You sure it wasn't from the car accident?" James said flatly. "I was breathing for Chance until Sinister yanked me back."

"I know," Billy said. "But I'm talking… there's a lab…" Billy's eyes glowed for a moment as he trailed off, following the future. He blinked back after several minutes and stared at James. "Hey," he said, his voice different suddenly, with a bit more of the echoing equality of the Demiurge. "Don't."

"I don't know what 'don't' you're talking about," James said in an even flatter tone.

"Yes you do," Billy said, drawing himself up. "And believe me, I know how bad that can be. Personally. I'm telling you: _don't_."

James closed his eyes and turned away. Teddy's words were still ricocheting around in his mind, but he didn't want to have this conversation _again_.

Billy let his shoulders drop. "I know," he said softly. "You'll never get away from that moment of weakness. It'll follow you around forever, and it sucks. It really does. But it's better than the alternative. I promise you it is, no matter how guilty you feel right now. I know that too. I remember. Teddy still gets nervous for me sometimes, and it's been decades. I _know_."

James couldn't look him in the face as he shifted guiltily. "I just … long term, with all my screw ups … if I _wasn't_ there, everything could be simpler for everyone else, you know?" He hadn't said as much to anyone out loud, and he knew that Billy would have to have seen a future where that much was absolutely true. Finally, he looked up to meet Billy's gaze. "You can't tell me that it's not relevant in multiple worlds. I've played it out in my head more times than I can count. I'm too much trouble."

Billy sighed and then tried a different tactic. "You have to realize what the ripple effects of that would be. Right now, you're careening toward exactly the kind of pain I'm trying to _stop_. And if you do what you're considering, you're going to take Scott _and_ Logan with you," he warned. "One right after the other."

James shook his head and looked down at his hands.

"I'm serious," Billy said. "Scott will be first. He'll have another heart attack, and that one will be fatal. Your dad's only lasting longer because it takes him longer to accept that you're gone and not missing." He drew himself up. "Chance never recovers. He and Elin leave the team. Your mom takes the other kids and goes into hiding. And then Leslie Ann hangs herself because she's convinced you had the right idea." He let his gaze fall on James. "Want me to go on?"

"There's no way," he said, shaking his head.

"I can show it to you," Billy said. "Shock therapy. Worked for Cyclops to get him to finally tell your dad he _liked_ him — seems to work miracles."

James shook his head and met Billy's gaze. "I haven't been a real part of things here for a _long_ time. You're overstating things."

"Fine." Billy's eyes glowed for a second before they found themselves in the cemetery in Westchester. "Read them. Tell me I'm wrong."

James shook his head and looked over to Billy. "You're not convincing. This could be from literally anything. Come on, just … let me go back to my room."

"I'm _trying_ not to show you—" Billy let out a sound of pure frustration as his eyes glowed even brighter. " _Fine_." In an instant, the scene changed, and they were standing at the funeral for James — and just like Billy had said, James' family was a mess, and Scott flat wasn't there, either. Annie was hunched over between Charlie and Chloe simply sobbing her eyes out, and Charlie wasn't even registering it, staring at nothing straight ahead.

Which was nothing next to James' family. The girls were an absolute mess. Elin and K were both trying to hold it together, but Elin's whole focus was on Chance, who had clearly shut down entirely and was barely even moving after losing _two_ brothers, with his dad fighting for his life in the med lab. And K was wearing an expression James had never seen on her face. She was somewhere between broken down and terrified, holding on tightly to Logan — who looked more haggard than James had ever seen, with an almost vacant expression that he'd only ever really seen in the mirror … recently.

And that seemed to do it more than any of the threats or predictions. The idea of his mother that upset and his father snapping like that had James' attention.

Billy watched James for a moment before the scene shifted again, subtly. Only this time, it wasn't James's funeral, even if the pictures were incredibly similar. Billy didn't say a word to explain it as he simply let James take it in: the loud and uncontrolled sobs coming from Jubilee, the way that this time, Elin and K simply couldn't keep it together as Elin had melted into a teary mess and K was staring at nothing, crying and recoiling from anyone touching her. Or the fact that Charlie was so far removed that she had to be carried from her seat, the way Lily was clutching onto Sadie since K didn't _want_ to be touched — all of it.

"Six funerals in one year," Billy said at last. "Kitty. Cody. You. Scott. Logan. Leslie Ann." He wasn't even watching the funeral, his whole focus on James. "Look what it does to them." When James was just frozen to the spot, Billy finally let his shoulders drop, and the scene shifted one more time, taking them out of the future and back to the present — though they were still in the cemetery.

Billy stepped forward and pulled James into a tight hug. "You are so loved, James," he whispered gently. "By so many people."

Of course, James didn't really have any means to respond to him other than to just hold on and try not to flat lose it on the spot, though it was a near miss, and his entire frame was shaking.

Billy hung onto him tightly, knowing not only how much he needed it _anyhow_ , but how much more important it was to give him that contact after _weeks_ of being tied down. That was another trauma that was going to take James a long time to get past, and a large part of why he was still teetering on the edge. "I'm sorry. I had to show you. I'm so sorry," he said quietly.

But James shook his head.

"That's what I was seeing when I was sleeping. That or Teddy dying or something else horrible. I had to stop it from happening here."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. It's not your fault. None of it is," Billy said. He gave James one more squeeze before he stepped back, and James saw that he was holding a bouquet of roses. "I brought you to her," he said quietly. "It's overdue, and I know you need to pay your respects."

When James focused on the flowers and then turned to see where exactly they were, it only served to open the floodgates, and he barely made it three steps toward Vanessa's headstone before he was on his knees. He tried to hold himself together, but it was too much, and he'd avoided the cemetery to keep from seeing the names, the still-fresh mounds of dirt, and the confirmation that yes, Vanessa was gone. And _Kitty_ and Cody … all three of whom he felt responsible for.

Billy stood back and simply let James let it out for as long as he needed to, sitting down close by with his hands clasped under his chin as he watched the scene. He knew that James wasn't going to risk causing that future, but that didn't mean that he wasn't an emotional wreck, and Billy wasn't going to leave him alone when he knew how alone he already _felt_.

Finally, when it was clear that James was just _done_ , Billy waved a hand, and Logan appeared close by.

Logan took in the scene and then started toward them silently. He gave Billy a _look_ as he passed him by, then simply joined James, one arm around his back as he knelt down next to him and tried to gather him up. James looked up at his father almost belatedly, then turned into his shoulder, clutching onto him but too worn down to even try and apologize again. It took a little while, but Logan managed to get James on his feet, and the two of them headed up to the house very slowly.

When Logan finally got James into his room, the young man more or less passed out on the spot as Logan settled into the chair nearby to keep close to him, even waving Kari off when she poked her head in a while later. He didn't begrudge the girl for all the help she'd given James, but this was something Logan _needed_ to do for James.

* * *

After the moment in the cemetery, James ended up taking a few days almost entirely to himself and whichever family member slipped in the room with him to keep him company as he tried to work through some of the grief surrounding Vanessa's death. He wasn't _over her_ by any means, but anyone who came into his room to keep him company after Billy had his intervention could hardly miss the fact that he was wearing the pearl that he'd given Vanessa — rolling it between his fingers and staring out of his window.

Regardless of plans to stay or plans to leave them, no one could deny he was missing her terribly.

But eventually, James also started to realize he needed to do something other than grieve. He had no drive and no desire to do anything — but when he started having side effects from the medicine he was on to counteract the adamantium poisoning, James knew he had to _do_ something. His appetite was nonexistent, he'd lost most of his muscle mass, and it was quickly getting to the point that even walking from one end of the mansion to the other had him out of breath. What's more, he was finding it hard to focus … another tip off that even with the drugs in his system, the metal was winning, since he wasn't _feeding_ his healing properly. He couldn't keep going at the pace he was at and live — and he'd seen the way Hank was looking at him, considering when it was time to push for tube feeding _again_.

So James started out by forcing himself to eat a little more. His stomach lurched every time he took a meal, and he wasn't sure if it was side effects or the depression making it hard to want to eat. But it did start to help a little. And it did start to slowly reverse the muscle loss — but it wasn't fast enough. He had to _do_ something more than just sleep, even if that's all he wanted to do.

But he didn't want to go to the gym, and he knew he wasn't up to running. So he started looking for something he _could_ do. He was in his bed, staring at the ceiling as Sadie slept on a cot next to him, when he heard the subtle splash of the pool echoing in through the open window, so he decided to slip out of bed, grab his phone, and see who in the world was swimming at this hour of morning.

Scott was clearly out of breath, hanging onto the rungs of the ladder in the pool to keep himself out of the water enough to get his breath back. He was clearly exhausted, not quite able to pull himself out of the water to get to where the chair was out of the pool, so he was just letting himself float while he took a break.

James had watched him for a short while through the window before he made his way out to the pool and simply sat down cross-legged not far from the ladder. "Looks cold."

"It's fine," Scott said, picking his head up to look at James.

"That doesn't mean it's not cold," James pointed out.

Scott shook his head. "It's fine," he said again. "What about you? Planning on getting a tan while you can?"

"Warmer than being in that water," James countered with a self-conscious shrug as he half curled in on himself.

"Yes, well. I'm told it's easier to get my strength back this way," Scott said in a frustrated tone.

"I should do it too, but I sink so easy," James said with a grim smirk. "I'm likely to be accused of something if I try swimming and sink instead."

Scott couldn't help but smirk at that. "Little heavier than you're used to, huh?"

"Ah, yeah," he said, nodding. "Hank's conservative estimate is that I'm up from my _normal_ weight oh … one-ten. One-fifteen. Ish."

"How are you holding up?" Scott asked. "Literally."

"I'm _here_ ," he said, shrugging. "Can't say physically it's getting better yet, but …"

"Yeah," Scott said quietly. "Yeah, I hear that."

James looked down to his hands for a moment, then cleared his throat, though when he did speak, there was a tremor to his voice. "So, I needed to apologize to you. I wasn't thinking. At all. And I didn't mean to upset anyone. I just thought... I wanted to …" James closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to try and find what he wanted to say. "I'm sorry."

Scott frowned at that and pulled himself up so that he had his elbows on the side of the pool, part of the way out of the water. "James… are you alright?"

"Absolutely not," he replied frankly. "But I'm gonna try to work on it."

Scott watched James for a moment before he took a deep breath and pushed himself up out of the pool and simply grabbed James — partly to get himself out and partly to pull him into a hug once he was there.

"I won't do it again," James promised quietly.

"Thank you," Scott said quietly. "I can't lose another boy."

"I know," James said as he gave Scott a squeeze.

"You're a good kid, James," Scott said. "I'm glad to have you back."

"I'm not really back yet," he replied, then paused. "But if you're going to work that hard in the pool, I could join you. No reason not to have an extra hand."

Scott smirked at that. "It's a deal."

* * *

Even though the X-Men were still wary of the public mood, things were at least starting to look up. The former Horsemen were improving, and for more good news, the McCoy twins arrived at the start of July, blonde and adorable and much smaller than Tristan or Lacy had been.

Tyler was grinning widely and curled up with Tammy and the two little girls when a few visitors arrived from Westchester to see the newest additions to the family — including Logan and K with little Lily, since Tyler was her brother too.

"Hey, Lil," Tyler called out with a grin when he saw her. "Did you come to see the babies?"

"Uh-huh," she said, grinning up at him from where she was sitting on Logan's shoulders.

"You want to come sit with me? You can say hello to Sarah and Hannah," Tyler offered. "They're sleeping now, but they're pretty cute, don't you think?"

She looked down at Logan, who twisted his neck so she could see his face, and then she nodded. "O-tay." Logan picked her up and set her on the floor, though she had barely touched it before she zipped right over and put her arms up for Tyler to pick her up.

Tyler grinned and swept her up so she could see the cute little girls. "What do you think? They're almost as small as some of your sisters were."

"Twins," Tammy said with a grin K's way. "Can you imagine if they'd been as big as Tristan was with both of them in there?"

"Oh, God, no," K said, pulling a face. "Don't … ugh. No, don't put that picture in my head."

Tammy smiled at that as Tristan pulled a face her way playfully, and the little family settled in to show Lily off.

"No need for that look," K said. "You're the one with the giant head."

"Hey, my head's normal-sized," Tristan said, pulling a face at her.

"For a troll," K replied, returning his expression almost flawlessly.

"Is not."

"So, so is," she laughed.

"Oh, stop picking on him," Tammy said with a smile. "He's my beautiful boy."

"Mo-om," Tristan grumbled.

"Yeah, come o-o-on, mo-om," K whined out along with him as she headed over to snuggle up with Logan.

Tyler chuckled and leaned over to Lily. "Your mama is hilarious," he told her.

She leaned closer to him and put one hand up by the side of her mouth to whisper, "She says dey need to keep on dere toes."

"And what do you think?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I dunno what dat means," she said, shaking her head.

"It means she wants them to have sharp minds," Tyler said, poking her in the center of the forehead. "So they can be smart."

"Did she toe-ded you too?"

Tyler grinned at that. "Oh yeah. For sure."

She shrugged her shoulders up to her ears and then leaned forward until she was leaning on his shoulder.

And while the group of ferals were all curled up downstairs, upstairs, some of the other Westchester group were chatting with their Chicago friends. Willow had recently turned thirteen and had started to pick up on other people's thoughts, so Rachel was helping her to get her powers under control.

Of course, Scott was thrilled with the news — and Bobby was proudly telling Annie about how Willow had her mother's power, enough that she was also picking things up with her mind already.

"Got all your looks but her mama's hair and powers," Annie teased him lightly. "Sounds about right."

But for all of the good news going around the group, Scott had noticed that Anton wasn't quite his usual good-natured self, though he didn't have to look far to figure out what Anton was bothered by. David and Leslie Ann were chatting amiably among themselves, sitting together on the couch with his arm behind her shoulders.

"How long has that been going on?" Scott asked with a small smile.

"About a month," Anton grumbled.

"Nice to see her smiling again," Scott said, the smile widening when Anton turned to give him a _look_. "I know you're used to having her all to yourself."

"Just don' wanna see her throwin' herself at a boy just to feel better," Anton grumbled.

Scott shook his head lightly. "Come on, Anton. You and I have both seen her through trauma, and we both know she does the opposite when she's hurting. She left the team, she went to school - this isn't that."

"And you handled it so well when it was Rachel datin' even as a grown woman," Anton grumbled.

"Hey, that was different," Scott said, shooting Anton a frown. "That was a wedding and a baby I didn't even know about." He looked up at Anton. "So unless there's something I need to know on that front…"

"She damn well better hope not," Anton grumbled, getting an honest laugh out of Scott.

"Seriously, Anton. It's only been a month, and it looks like he's got her smiling. That seems like a good thing to me."

Anton let his shoulders drop at last as he let out all his breath as well. "Yes. Well. Sorta hard to get used to the idea of lettin' her go when a few weeks ago we were spendin' every day just gettin' her through."

Scott nodded quietly at that. "Yeah, we're still doing that ourselves," he said.

"Those boys havin' a hard time?"

"Well, Sying has Krissy and a baby on the way," Scott said. "James… he's improving, but I haven't seen him smile in a long time."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Anton said quietly. "Kid's a pistol when he's on his feet."

"Don't I know it," Scott chuckled.

"It's not fair to those kids," Anton said. "Especially the younger ones. At least Leslie Ann was a grown woman."

"They're dealing with it," Scott said. "Which is, actually, a much bigger deal than it seems."

"I hear that," Anton said, resting a hand on Scott's shoulder for a moment before he let out a laugh and shook his head. "Right. You should get back to spoilin' your granddaughter. And you should say hi to Ty's kids. He's been walkin' around like he's king of the world, and it ain't gonna stop anytime soon."

Scott laughed at that and nodded. "He's got every reason to," he agreed as they headed down together to go say hello.

When they got down there, Logan and K had a newborn each, and Lily was sitting with Tammy asking her a dozen questions on _how_ this had happened. She was very serious, and she was leaning close enough to her that she was just short of touching noses with her. "But _how_?"

"You tellin' that sweet lil girl 'bout how angels come down from Heaven and hide in your body for a few months while they're growin'?" Anton called out to Tammy with a grin.

Lily glanced up at him quickly, startled by the new voice, but as soon as she got a good look at him, it was like watching a spring unwind as she relaxed and then hopped off of Tammy's lap to march right up to him and stare almost straight up at him. "Hi. I Lily."

Anton grinned down at her and crouched to her eye level. "Hi. I'm Anton," he said.

She glanced over to Logan and K, and as soon as Logan nodded his head once, she turned back to Anton and very nearly attacked him with a hug around the neck.

Anton chuckled and picked her up in a hug as he stood up with her. "You been spendin' all your time with Ty and his wife? You know they got some cute kids. Got a little girl just a few years older than you, too."

She nodded her head seriously. "Ty is my brudder."

Anton nodded just as seriously. "Yeah, I heard about the angel that magically came into our world. You're very cute for an angel," he teased her.

She gave him a little smile, her eyes dancing just before she leaned forward and snuggled in. "Das what mama says too."

"Well, I got a couple girls, but they're all grown now and havin' little ones just like you," Anton told her. "My baby, Mary Beth, she's got two."

"We've been telling her that she can have pretty much anyone in her family that she wants," Logan said from across the room. "Looks like she's considering you for adoption."

Anton grinned at that. "Hey, who wouldn't want an angel?" he asked, turning LIly upside down to tickle her before he pulled her upright again.

She smiled at him. "I gots _fwee_ Dads. An' a lot o' sissers. But onwy two … no. fwee and a haf brovers."

"That's a whole lotta family," Anton agreed. "How'd you get so lucky to have so many dads?"

She grinned wider at that. "I have Mama, ana Wolvie, ana Billy, ana _Teddy._ "

Anton grinned. "You are _really_ lucky, lil miss Lily."

She started giggling madly. "Sto-o-o-op, I not miss. I jus _Li-ly._ "

"So you don' want me to call you Lil Miss Priss with a cherry on top?"

"Sto-o-o-o-o-op," she said, giggling more as she swatted at him and then curled in. "You siwy."

"Lil Miss Tiger Lily, Queen of the Entire Northeast," he said, snuggling into her with a smirk.

But she was just giggling quietly at that, and the grin wasn't going anywhere, so she just melted into him and got comfortable. "Yeah, I don't know where she gets that from," K said, getting a little chuckle out of Logan.

"Yes ma'am, it's a mystery," Anton said with a smirk.

"Looks like you might need to come our way for Christmas, Uncle Anton," Logan rumbled.

"Looks like," Anton agreed. "Probably for the best anyway; should bring my girls to Westchester, let their grandparents play with Mary Beth's little ones…"

"There'll be enough little ones," K said. "And if Billy keeps pulling this, we'll probably need to open up a nursery school."

"It's always been like that for y'all," Anton teased. "Never been to that school when there hasn't been a group of little ones."

"Is that why you haven't come by lately?" K asked. "Afraid of the little ones?"

Anton chuckled. "Believe it or not, I'm gettin' older too. I know I don't look it as much as my brother-in-law here, but I'm slowin' down."

"I don't believe it," Logan muttered.

"I know; hard to believe when I still look the same," Anton teased. He grinned at Lily and tossed her in the air once to catch her.

She latched on with him with both arms and kissed his cheek when he caught her. "I wike it hewe. I wike hims." She patted Anton on the chest.

Anton grinned at her. "You're welcome to come visit anytime."

She looked over to Logan and K, and when again, Logan nodded, she burst into a giggle and snuggled up tight again. "Good."


	10. Take a Breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal note from mags: My friend is coming over to spend a couple weeks with me (after a two-week quarantine, naturally, so that she knows she's safe to come visit), and I have a book coming out while she's here (Scaleshifter: The Black Dragon), so I'm spending the next week getting my files ready for that book so that I don't have to worry about it while she's here. Then, I'll be out of touch for two weeks hanging with her. So that's three weeks that I'll be mostly out of touch. Which means we might not update here for a while, since I won't be around for editing and cleaning things up for posting. Sorry!

Scott had told James what time he could usually be found trying to get some of his old strength back — in the early morning when the kids weren't trying to mob the pool for some summer fun.

And the timing worked out perfectly for James, since the further out he got from the whole fiasco, the earlier he was waking up, and he knew he still wasn't up to a run with his father yet. But the pool was quiet, and there simply wasn't going to be a lot of splashing unless there was a problem. It was a good way for both of them to go easy. For now. Until the competition would inevitably start, probably by the end of the summer.

Of course, even without the solid competition, that wasn't going to stop either of them from eventually pushing themselves hard, though it was harder for Scott to get to the point of pure exhaustion like the last time James had seen him on his own when he had a swimming partner.

"You're getting faster," Scott said as he and James finally took a break, both of them in the shallow end as Scott sat on the steps leading into the pool to get his breath.

"You too," James replied, sinking down so that just his head was above the surface.

"Yeah, I'll be running foot races in no time," Scott deadpanned.

"You're beating me on distance in the water," James said in a more reasonable tone.

Scott let out a breath and smiled James's way, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "I don't have as much weight to pull."

"Yeah, but that's just details though, right?" James replied. "Or excuses. Whatever. Same thing."

Scott chuckled at that. "Yeah. What's a hundred pounds and a stroke to us?"

James tipped his head to the side as if to say 'not a thing'.

Scott smiled his way before he gestured to the other side of the pool. "One more lap?" he offered.

"Sure," James agreed, backing up to give Scott more room.

By the time the two of them finished their mini-race, a few others had started to make their way down to the pool, though Chance had outpaced the little ones, since he knew that his dad and James would be there. He watched the race and recognized the look on James' face when he'd let Chance get _close_ in their sparring sessions to save his feelings and couldn't quite stop the smirk as he offered his dad a hand to get out of the water.

"Good swim?" he asked with a crooked smile.

Scott returned the smile. "Good way to start the day," he replied.

"Yeah, I can see that." Chance helped Scott get seated and then looked past him to James to give him a significant sort of look and a mouthed out 'thanks.'

James frowned at Chance as soon as he knew Scott wasn't looking, making it clear that he wasn't acknowledging anything.

Chance shook his head at that. "C'mon, Dad," he muttered to Scott. "You know the kids're going to come mob the place, and Mom'll kill me if I don't get you back to stuff you with food," he teased.

Scott just chuckled. "Of course."

James, on the other hand, dried off and dropped into a chair to stick around until someone more responsible showed up to play lifeguard for the little ones. Of course, that didn't happen for a while, since the bamfs preceded the kids.

The little guys took one look at James and quickly disappeared again, bringing Kate with them and chattering at her as she gently stroked their hair. "Okay, okay, I'll come play lifeguard, calm down," she reassured them.

James looked up when she appeared with them and only waited for a moment when he realized that he couldn't understand what the little demons were saying to each other and Kate. They no longer _wanted_ him to understand them, and that was a large part of getting it in the first place. It was an entirely alien sensation considering he'd _never_ known a time when he couldn't understand them.

He stared at a little group of demons on the far side of the pool before he simply got up and turned to leave, though he wasn't entirely surprised by the cold shoulder, it served as yet another reminder. The quick exit to get Kate was reasonable, he thought. No reason to leave the kids with _him._

Kate saw James leave and frowned his way for a moment, but with the bamfs chattering insistently that the kids _needed_ adult supervision, she didn't get to say anything about it. Especially when Kade was the one leading the charge of everyone running to the pool, with Ael not far behind.

* * *

With everything that had been going on lately, it was easy to lose track of time, but when Chance had realized that it was getting to be mid-July, he made it a point to call up the resort where he and Elin had stayed for their honeymoon and schedule a weekend up there. Just three days — he didn't think Elin would want to be gone for too long.

But it was their anniversary. And if he was honest, he _needed_ a break away from the house and the family that no longer included his little brother.

"Alright, so," Chance said as he caught up to Elin and wrapped her up from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Three days up north. You and me."

She leaned back into him and turned her head to kiss his cheek. "I don't know that we can get away."

"Sure we can," he said. "I asked Krissy to get us a pair of inducers, and I used Uncle Craig's name for the reservations."

Elin couldn't help but smirk at that and then turned to face him and give him a kiss. "How long have you been plotting behind my back, Sweet Summers?"

"Well, I would have liked to do something bigger for our first ever anniversary, but I know we probably can't get away for more than a few days the way things are at home," he admitted.

"I mean, outside of it being the first, is it _normal_ to go all out for the first?"

"No, but you have to understand — I never thought you'd even date me, let alone marry me, so having an _anniversary_ is sort of a big deal for me, okay?" Chance said.

"The feeling is entirely mutual, you ridiculous romantic," Elin said before she stole a kiss.

Chance grinned at her and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I can't help it," he said. "I'm hopelessly, eternally in love with you."

"Did you tell Mom and Dad?" she asked. "Or … Moms. And Dads."

He nodded. "My mom was on board from the minute I said 'anniversary', obviously. She's the one who suggested Uncle Craig, since he's not as tied up in the team as the rest of the family."

Elin nodded. "Yeah, my Mom would have given you a set of fake credentials," she said, nodding.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Chance said. "But she and your dad were both on board with the idea of us getting away for a while. I _tried_ to suggest that we could watch the kids if they wanted to do the same thing, but, well, you can imagine how that went."

"Yeah, they're ... " She let out a sigh. "They're talking about ignoring theirs this year."

"I hope they don't," Chance said with a frown. "It's twenty years. That's supposed to be a big deal."

"Tell that to them," she said before she kissed him again. "They're both depressed. Which sucks. Because it's always been just one of them at a time for the other one to drag out of the misery."

"Which is why having a twentieth anniversary would be good for them," Chance reasoned. "Let them get away from it all. James is doing better … we can watch the kids… it would be good, right?"

"It would," she agreed. "But I don't think they'll even consider it until it's a lot closer." She stopped and looked up at him with a little frown. "James said that he'd gone to the cottage too, so … no one is touching that place until we can clear it."

"Alright, so we need to get that done sooner rather than later, because if nothing else, tactically, we need to have that getaway for the kids the next time something stupid happens," Chance reasoned.

"Ah, but, there are dozens of them," she said before she started kissing her way along his jaw.

"Yeah, but that's the one the kids know best," Chance argued as he pulled her down to sit with him, grinning to himself .

"They haven't seen the others; they're just as sweet. I promise. Even if it doesn't have your finger paintings on the wall."

Chance chuckled at that. "That's where all the character is, El," he teased her as he pulled her into a kiss. "Physical proof of how long I've loved you."

"I do have other things stashed from our world tour," Elin promised. "You know. Unless a tree fell on the cabin or something. You still haven't seen that one."

"Well then, that's where we're going for the second anniversary," he decided.

"You'll have to ask Dad about it," she said with a grin. "He doesn't really let visitors go there. I don't think your dad's even seen it."

"I'm sure he'll be amenable. 'Dear Dad, I'd like to take Elin someplace nice for an anniversary and want to get away to the cabin.' Makes you happy, makes him happy, right?"

"Probably," she said, nodding. "So when do we leave for your weekend retreat to Alaska?"

"Friday night," he said. "We'll fly commercial — you know, because a Kree ship would probably attract attention. But we'll look like my Uncle Craig and Aunt Theresa so that we match the names and everything."

"Okay," she said, quickly sitting up away from him. "Guess I'll see you Friday then."

He laughed and pulled her back down. "Hey, hey, since when does a trip mean I can't see you anymore?"

"What? You don't think it'd be fun to do a little distance for a day or two?" Elin had to tease.

"No, no, I don't think that separation is fun, no," Chance said, pulling her down harder in a playful pin.

"I dunno … if it gets you all … possessive and territorial …"

Chance smirked at her as he put his face in his hair. "If I could growl…"

"Well, that's not something I thought I'd ever hear," she said with a little laugh.

He chuckled and pulled her tighter. "Don't you forget it — you're mine," he teased.

She leaned forward to give him a rather long and involved kiss. "Why would I forget that?"

"No idea," he agreed before he simply got wrapped up in her all over again.

* * *

Amadi had been helping her father in his shop, and the Maker had been humming to himself distractedly as he worked. When she'd gotten her Stark phone, initially, Forge had been irritated, and a bit insulted, but … after he checked it out and looked it over carefully, he decided that it … would be okay. For now.

He still complained about the number of hidden sensors dotted over the thing, and it wasn't too helpful that Amadi hadn't had a phone before this fiasco, so even now with the new tech, she only had a handful of names in her contact list.

Amadi couldn't help but laugh when she saw how annoyed he was about it. Especially since he didn't think separating the Horsemen or treating them so delicately was the right move.

He had, in fact, taken an entirely different viewpoint than all of the other X-men. Where the team and family at large had pointed out that Amadi and the rest of the Horsemen's actions were really Apocalypse working through them, Forge had simply shrugged at the idea.

"The real problem isn't that there was a hurricane or two here or there," he'd said when it was just him with his wife and daughter. "They knew living in those areas that there were inherent risks due to the weather. The problem is that you showed them how bad it could be and they've never — in the entire history of their government — bothered to put in safeguards for the people that live there. You just exposed their corruption and laziness. Had they set up better protections, it wouldn't have been nearly as bad as it was. And they want to blame you so they don't get blamed at home for how they're handling it."

And Forge flat out refused to hear any argument to it. It didn't matter who brought it up; the reaction was always the same. He'd raise one hand, already shaking his head, and then simply ignore the argument or walk away.

Amadi had heard Forge make his point often enough that it was impossible not to let the message sink in, and it had helped significantly with her own recovery. Add to that the fact that she'd been spending months in LA with the friends that she'd made there — and that one of her closest friends was Bashir Morales, and he was a bundle of pure optimism — and she really was doing the best out of the four former Horsemen.

The biggest issue she had left to work out, honestly, was that, like the others, she was still struggling with her powers. It wasn't quite as bad as James, with his healing pretty much shot, or Sying, who still hadn't made a plasmoid — but she wasn't at the full weather witch powerset that she had reached before Apocalypse had grabbed her.

She was playing with a few little rainclouds at the beach when Remy came down to join her with a warm smile. He had been finding excuses to build her up, and she appreciated it — especially because seeing him alive and well and hanging out with him was doing more to assuage her nightmares than even her dad's insistence. Remy had been the trauma Apocalypse had used to get into her head. Now, she had the ammunition, emotionally, to fight back.

"You warmin' up so you kin help Miss Leslie Ann wit Stormy's garden when you go back, lil Stormy?" he asked.

"Um … I guess that depends on if I'm _allowed_ to go look at it," Amadi said half under her breath.

Remy wrapped his arm around her shoulders with an easy grin. "Course you are. Dat garden is de pride and joy of your mama's — leavin' you aside, of course."

She smiled lightly and leaned into the hug. "What about you? Everyone keeps asking if I'm alright, but you scared me."

Remy turned to wrap her up properly, tucking her head under his chin. "Course I'm alright," he swore. "Takes more'n a half grown Wolverine to keep ol' Remy down."

"You looked pretty down when we left," Amadi pointed out, because she'd been thinking about it before he came by, and it _still_ left her breathless sometimes.

"And I bounced right back up," he said, kissing her forehead. "Jus' sorry you had to see that, lil Stormy. You too good to have nightmares like dat." He dipped his head down to catch her gaze. "Don'tchu worry 'bout ol' Remy, lil Stormy," he told her seriously. "Ain't goin' nowhere. Dat's a promise."

She gave him a little smile and then snuggled into a hug. "I don't know that I want to go to Westchester again," she said.

"Well, dat's up to you, lil Stormy," Remy said. "Ol' Remy wouldn't complain if he got to see his favorite girl more." He paused and looked down at her. "But it sure ain't like you to let somet'in scare you away from what you wanna do."

She pulled a face at that but let out a little huff. "Maybe it's just how it all started — or that we broke the school."

Remy let out a little scoffing noise. "Your mama just 'bout knocked over de whole school when she had you, and she wasn't even tryin'," he said. "It's just part of de way tings are when you got powers."

She couldn't help but smile at that a little, but it dropped off quickly. "But we only wrecked it so that he could grab Sying too."

Remy nodded slowly. "Don't dat tell you a lil sometin' 'bout how good de X-Men are at protectin' de people we care 'bout?" he pointed out. "You gotta tear up de whole place just to get de one person."

She paused and finally nodded slowly. "I didn't think of it like that," she admitted.

He kissed her forehead. "De X-Men take care of de ones we love. You gotta know dat."

She nodded. "I do know that," Amadi agreed. "Look at how my father defends me. It's easy enough to see."

"You got a buncha people on your side, lil Stormy," he said warmly. "And we gon' support you no matter whatchu do. But don' you go lettin' nobody scare you offa what you want."

Amadi gave him a little smile. "Yes, that's true too. I just don't know what that is now."

"How 'bout we start wit' a game o' cards?" Remy asked with a grin. "We take it one day at a time, lil Stormy."

She smiled at him and shyly produced his deck that she'd taken from his coat pocket. "I suppose that would be a place to start."

He grinned at her, obviously proud. "Das my girl."


	11. I Only Broke One Nose!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which ballet is dangerous, and so is messing with the Howletts.

Sadie had been going to dance in the city, since she'd gotten to the point in her ballet work that she was simply beyond what the teachers at the school in Westchester could give her, and she truly wanted to keep improving. So, Natasha had arranged for her to have a private tutor in the city.

Which was fine and good, except, of course, she'd only been taking the lessons for a few weeks before she needed an upgrade in footwear. She left class that day grumbling to herself about how quickly she was going through pointe shoes. She had already ordered some new ones, but they were going to be out for a few days still, and she was in a mood already from all the drama back home. James was slowly coming out of his depression, but not nearly fast enough for Sadie's tastes, and she was wracking her brain trying to figure out how to help him.

She was nearly to Avenger's Tower, her mind on her brother, when she realized that someone was following her. She straightened up slightly and picked up her pace, but as she passed an alley, two masked men reached out and grabbed her by her arms and pulled her into the alley.

She fought back like her father had taught her to do, and she did alright, but honestly, her musculature was more developed for _dancing,_ not defense. She managed to break one of their noses, but the ones following her blocked off her view to the street and joined in, and in short order, they'd restrained her and ditched her duffel bag with all of her dance gear.

Sadie was _furious_. On top of everything else, she could tell these idiots were not pros. They took her phone but didn't even think to look for the panic button, though that was hard for her to reach with how they had her hands tied.

They'd taped up her mouth so she couldn't scream or bite them, but even with that, when she growled, one of them took a step back. The next thing she knew, they tossed her into a plain, white panel van, though she couldn't see where they were headed or what was going on beyond that.

She kept growling, which at least kept her captors back as she tried to maneuver herself to reach the panic button. She couldn't wait for these idiots to meet her father.

* * *

Howard Stark was supposed to meet up with Sadie after her dance class to take her out for dinner. But when Sadie hadn't made it to Avengers Tower, he was starting to get worried, especially because she had been the one to ask him if he wanted to go out in the first place.

He was pretty sure she'd picked up on the fact that his stomach did flips whenever he was around her, so that might have been a mission of mercy on his account.

But Sadie was too sweet of a girl to leave him waiting like this and not at least text him to let him know she'd left dance late or something. So, after twenty minutes and a phone call to her — just in case something _had_ come up — Howard went back up to grab the first Avenger he could find.

"Hey, Aunt Nat," he said, frowning hard as he handed his phone over to her. "Sadie's not responding. Is something up with James, or is it time to worry?"

Natasha frowned as she read over the text Howard had sent to Sadie — _Did you get held up?_ — before she looked his way and quickly put her own phone up to her ear. "Logan," she said, "have you heard from Sadie? Any panic button activity? She hasn't gotten to the tower, and she was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."

There was a short pause as Logan clearly seemed to be trying to control his reaction. "No. I'm on my way." He didn't wait for a response and instead simply hung up the phone, but he didn't get all the way to the hangar before Scott called out to let him know that Sadie's panic button had just gone off.

Logan let out a low growl as Scott handed him the little device that showed where to go. The growl didn't want to stop as Logan started down the hall — positively stalking toward the stairs to head down. Of course, Scott had thought of that too, and it wasn't long at all before Kurt appeared in a cloud of brimstone smoke, took a look over Logan's shoulder at the image on the device, took a hold of his best friend, and simply teleported them just outside of the building where Sadie's panic button had been activated.

"I know you want to approach this in your own manner," Kurt said with a troublemaking growl of his own. "I am only here as support to get the captive ballerina out."

Logan nodded at that and started toward the side door, where he quickly picked up Sadie's scent. He didn't even consider trying to be nice about it, and instead, he cut through the heavy lock before he rushed in, ready to take gunfire or whatever else was going on. Clearly, Sadie's captors were _not_ prepared for the trouble they'd pulled down on their heads as Logan let his claws fly with a ringing _snikt_ and a low, rumbling growl.

Sadie finally managed to bite through the tape on her mouth with her sharp canines, glad to see her dad but still furious about how that had gone down. "You did it to yourselves," Sadie said to the nearest kidnapper before she made it worse for them and let out a little scream that had the man nearest her panicking outright and trying to get her to stop.

Not that it was going to do him any good.

Kurt teleported to where the scream had come from but didn't deal with the kidnapper himself more than to hit him hard enough to knock him away from Sadie and then grabbed her and teleported back to the mansion with her, quickly untying the ropes around her wrists.

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked her, pulling her face into his hands as he brushed her hair back, obviously worried.

She was still growling lightly as she leaned into a hug and held on tightly. "I'm okay, just … _so mad._ " She stepped back from him and ran her hand over her face. "I was just … walking to the Tower after class."

"You weren't doing anything wrong," he assured her, though Sadie still looked furious.

"They weren't trying to bait your father," Scott said, announcing his presence as he rolled into the room.

"They really thought _that_ one out," Sadie said, wrapping her arms around her middle. " _Idiots_."

"They were trying to bait your brother," Scott told them, his eyes narrowed. "They wanted him to come out as Death to save you. His name has been in the news so often; they wanted to enact their own twisted justice, from what the intel says."

She froze as she realized what Scott was saying and then looked near tears as she started to growl again. "Well, looks like they pushed the wrong button. Not the death they were expecting, but they'll get it all the same."

Kurt pulled her into a tight hug. "Well, clearly, they had no idea what they were doing. And they'll pay for their stupidity and cowardice."

"What kind of _idiot_ would think that my father _wouldn't_ come after me?" she asked, her head tipped slightly to the side and her bun totally coming apart.

"I can only tell you that they are ignorant fools," Kurt said gently. "And that some people simply don't understand."

She was biting her lip before she looked down at herself. "Thank you for coming to get me," she said quietly. "But I just want to wash the stink of failure off now. And order new dance gear."

Kurt smiled at her gently and kissed her forehead. "Alright. But if you need anything at all, you know where to find me."

She nodded. "They took my phone, and I'm pretty sure my Dad is going to need a ride," she said. "And I'm going to need to give him a hug when he gets back, so could you please come get me?"

"Absolutely," Kurt promised.

Sadie turned to Scott. "I don't know how this is supposed to work. Do I need to talk to you first, or can I go?"

"If you can, I'd like to hear what happened," Scott said.

Sadie nodded and walked over to sit down next to Scott. "So … they yanked me into an alley, and I only broke one of their noses. They took my phone but didn't know to look for the button."

Scott nodded. "Then they're far more amateurish than we're used to dealing with," he said. "That's a good thing; if they were part of a bigger group, there would be more to it."

"They startled when I growled," she said, crossing her arms and looking sullen.

"Then that's the one smart thing they did," Scott said with a smirk.

Sadie looked a little weary as she got to her feet again. "I'll find a better way to carry my button so I can reach it faster," she promised. "Maybe I'll just hold it when I'm walking down the street."

"You did exactly what you needed to do."

She didn't look convinced of it but she nodded all the same. "Alright. I need to burn these clothes. Thank you, again."

Scott nodded and was sure to give her a squeeze before she went upstairs, though she'd hardly finished showering and changing her clothes before there was a knock at her bedroom door.

She opened the door with a little frown, not expecting anyone to come get her like _this._ "Yes?"

In an instant, Kaleb had wrapped her up in a solid hug and outright kissed her before he could consider what he was doing. "Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Disappointed in myself, but fine," she replied, though she did return the hug, too.

"Disappointed?" Kaleb repeated, frowning hard. "What for? For being too cute?"

She let out a frustrated sort of sound. "No, I just … I only broke one of their noses, and … _Malin_ probably would have done better fighting her way out."

Kaleb shook his head. "It's okay. I'm pretty sure your dad needed to let out some frustration," he pointed out.

She couldn't help but smirk wickedly at that. "I know. And I got them back when Dad got there."

"Yeah?" Kaleb grinned at her. "What did you do?"

The smirk turned into a smile, and she shot one eyebrow up for just an instant. "Oh, I _screamed_."

Kaleb burst into a laugh. "Oh yeah. You totally screwed those guys."

"They so had it coming," she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Who was it, anyway?" Kaleb asked. "I'm an X-Man now. I can go hit 'em."

"Just some rando creeps," she said. "They took my phone but didn't look for the button. Got scared when I growled … totally out of their depth."

"Oh yeah. We could take them on ourselves. You and me. With one hand tied behind our backs. They just got the jump on you is all," Kaleb said with a smile.

"But that's just it," she said, as the two of them started to walk out. "They were rank amateurs and they _got me._ "

"Yeah, and?" Kaleb shrugged. "Even rank amateurs can get lucky. I mean, look at my mom and the people she had issues with when she wasn't an X-Man. You've heard the tracksuit jokes, right?"

She frowned and took his arm. "I know. It's just not right. I have a family reputation to hold up, and I'm totally blowing it."

Kaleb waved his hand and then rested it on top of hers. "No way. You shouldn't _have_ to do anything just because of your family. I like that you're a ballerina."

"I just meant I should be able to defend myself better," she said softly.

He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I think you're perfect just the way you are."

She smiled lightly and then returned the kiss. "You are the sweetest little Elf, too. You know that right? You got all the dashing charm from your father."

He straightened up a little more. "I'd like to think so," he said, obviously grinning at the compliment.

"Want to join me for a bite?" she asked. "It's been a long afternoon. I lost all my gear …"

"Why not?" Kaleb said with a smile, teleporting them both down to the kitchen in an instant.

The two of them had just gotten into some food when there was another visitor at the mansion, and Howard came rushing over, his eyes wide, before he froze where he stood in the doorway when he saw her. "Are you… are you okay?" he asked, still panting a bit from running and the sheer panic of not _knowing_ if she was okay or not.

Sadie took just a moment to take in his appearance and drew in a sharp breath. "Oh, I'm so sorry. These jerks — they grabbed me — and I lost my phone and my gear — Uncle Kurt brought Dad in to fix it — but I'm _fine_ , Howard."

"You were grabbed?" Howard stared at her, still frozen in the doorway — partly because it looked like she was totally settled in with Kaleb.

Sadie nodded and got up to go to him. She didn't really warn him either before she put her arms around his neck and gave him a hug so she could tell him the story quickly and quietly in his ear while giving him the chance to hold onto her.

He was sure to hug her tightly the more he heard, though when she got to the part about not being able to reach her panic button, he seemed to pay closer attention. "I can help with that," he offered. "We can figure something out ... a handless option… maybe something with a chip or a sensor…"

She stopped, smiled at him, and then kissed his cheek. "Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

He couldn't help but smile at her. "For you? No trouble at all," he promised.

Sadie gave him a brilliant smile and bit her lip. "I kinda screwed up our dinner date. Want to come and nibble with me now anyhow?"

"As long as I'm not interrupting something," he said, glancing Kaleb's way.

She frowned at that and shook her head. "What would you be interrupting?"

Howard paused and considered everyone there for a long moment, belatedly turning his full focus to her. "Nothing, I guess."

"Kaleb is my best friend," she said, taking his hand and leading the way beyond the door. "He heard about what happened because his dad came to get me out. The Elves are _terrible_ gossips, you know."

"We are," Kaleb agreed with a smile, though he gave Sadie a raised eyebrow look when he saw that they were holding hands. "We are _terrible_ gossips," he said, the tone and smile turning even more impish before he disappeared in a poof of blue.

"See? He's off to start trouble already," she said.

Howard smirked and shook his head. "Are you sure you don't want to go out somewhere? We can ... I can use my dad's name and get someplace private if you don't want to be in the public eye…"

She gestured down at herself; she was still standing with her feet in fifth position, since she was unable to stand without posing at least a _little_. "I'm not really presentable to go anywhere, I don't think. And it would take me time to get presentable."

"I think you look great," Howard said with a smile.

She gave him another smile for that and shook her head. "How about we plan on that — and tonight, if you have time, we can just … popcorn and a movie?"

"That sounds great," Howard said, his smile widening. "I've got time."

"Perfect," she said, crossing the kitchen to get the popcorn. "I should stay close until I see my dad again anyhow. It's not smart to have him help and then rush off." She set the bowl down and straightened up her shirt. "So. You pick the movie. I'll get the blanket."

"Sounds like a plan," Howard said with a grin, heading off to get things set up.

And while Howard was in the next room, there was a cloud of smoke in the kitchen as Kurt brought Logan to Sadie, freshly cleaned up himself. He let out a breath and gave her a hug. "You alright, sweetheart?" Logan asked quietly, doing his best to ignore all the scents she was already wearing — and the fact that he could smell that the Stark kid was around.

"I'm fine now," she promised. "I didn't mean to startle anyone, and I think … if you have time? Maybe you can get me back up to snuff? I only broke one nose. And I know they were _amateurs_."

Logan let his shoulders relax and nodded his head at that before he kissed her forehead. "We'll talk about it in the mornin'." He glanced up and fixed Howard with a glare for just long enough to make his point when Howard stopped dead in the doorway, but Logan didn't say a word before Kurt held up a six pack with a _look_ and the two of them disappeared to play some pool.

Sadie didn't miss a beat, and she simply picked up the popcorn bowl before the smoke even cleared. "So. What are we watching?"

" _Singing in the Rain_ ," Howard said. "My mom got me hooked on it, and the dancing's pretty good."

She tipped her head lightly to one side. "Okay. That sounds nice."

He grinned at her as the movie started up. "Mom loves old movies. Dad does too, but he likes to pretend he prefers horror and action movies," he told her with a little laugh.

"That's fine; I like Gene Kelly," she said. "The title song dance was genius."

He grinned at that. "I think so too," he agreed. "And, I mean, I guess when you've got parents as old as yours, you'd have some old classics too," he teased.

"That's entirely true," she agreed. "And the two of them do a fine Fred and Ginger impression when the mood strikes," she laughed.

"Maybe I should learn a little of that," he said with a smile as he rested his arm on the couch behind her.

"Mom would teach you; your dad would have to come and be obnoxious," she said, then she looked over at him appraisingly before she scooted closer and snuggled in.

"Yeah, I'd rather _not_ bring Dad. He and your mom are just... "

"They're pretty hilarious," she said.

"Yeah, that's one word for it," Howard said, shaking his head as he rested his hand on her shoulder and made himself more comfortable.

They weren't long into the movie before Sadie picked her head up off of his shoulder. "So, does this count as a date, then?"

He glanced at her and thought about it for a moment. "If I say no, does that mean you owe me another first date?" he decided at last with a teasing smile.

She sat up a little straighter and leaned closer just to set him back. "Let's get one thing straight right now. I don't owe you anything. Ever. I just want to know if I should kiss you or not, so don't wreck that by saying something I'll have to make you regret."

Howard blinked at her, wide-eyed at her reaction, before he quickly nodded. "Yes. Yeah, this is a date," he said.

She tipped her chin up just a bit to watch him, then smiled and leaned in to kiss the sense out of him.


	12. It's Not Easy to Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which recovery is slow and the bamfs aren't good at forgiveness.

The next time that Alyssa met up with the junior squad, they had her come to them — for security concerns — though she didn't mind at all, especially when she was coming into the institute and spotted James.

She didn't even think about it before she rushed over and simply hugged the breath out of him. "I'm so glad you're alright!" she gushed.

It took him a moment to register who it was that was hugging him, particularly since she had not done that _ever_ before. "Hello, nice to see you too," James replied in a matter-of-fact tone, though he'd already automatically returned the hug. "Have you been coming up to the house?"

She shook her head. "No, no, I'm just here for an interview, but I couldn't _not_ say hi," she explained.

"Oh," James looked surprised by that for a moment. "Who are you interviewing?"

"The junior squad," Alyssa explained, frowning his way. "Oh, but I guess you're still recovering."

He tipped his head to the side, "Yeah. you could say that," he said before he shrugged lightly. "I'm not on the team anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I can't imagine what you've been through, and I know it has to be hard."

He put his hands in his back pockets at that. "Yeah, it's been a pretty crappy run."

"Well … get back on the horse — that's what I always say," Alyssa said with a warm smile. "And we're all pulling for you, really."

"You're sweet," James said. "But that's not entirely true."

"It's true for millions of people," Alyssa insisted. "If you want, I can send you some of the messages I've been getting."

"It's not ... " He sighed. "You don't need to do that." He looked past her to see the junior team starting to show up. "I should get out of your way. Good luck. They're crappy interviews, I'm sure."

"Thanks — but you're supposed to say 'break a leg' in show biz," she said with a smile.

He gestured with both hands openly, walking backwards. "Yeah, see? Botched that too."

"You just need more practice," she said, waving the tips of her fingers as she headed off to talk to the junior squad and get the official update on how the team was recovering after the ordeal.

A poof of pink alerted James to the fact that he'd had an audience. "I'm trying so hard not to be my mother right now," Kari said as she watched Alyssa head off with the team.

"You're failing already," James said without turning her way.

"Yes, but I've never met that girl, and she's giving you hugs, and I'm trying _so_ hard not to take the obvious route."

That did, however, get James to turn her way, rolling his entire body toward her as he did so. "What's the obvious route?"

Kari faced him and grinned. "Hug magnet," she said simply.

His expression went entirely flat. "Doesn't count when everyone has agreed to do it behind my back," he said.

"I've _never_ seen that girl before," Kari pointed out.

"I have," he said with a little shrug. "She's the one running the webcasts."

Kari shook her head. "I still say it's just… sitting there."

"Just what I need," James said, then took a long drink of water. "Someone else putting one of Dad's handles on me." He turned to point a finger her way. "If you call me 'Patch,' I'm _never_ talking to you again. Fair warning."

"What if you start wearing an eyepatch? It might be some kind of automatic Hawkeye reaction I can't stop," Kari argued.

"If I start wearing an eyepatch, it's gonna be because I lost an eye, and then I'd hope that your imagination is better than that."

She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Okay, fair."

He looked up and then glanced around the room. "Am I still on full-time babysitting detail?"

"I don't know," Kari said. "I'm not hanging around you just to keep an eye on you, if that's what you're saying."

"I was wondering," he admitted. "Your timing is questionable."

"I just want to spend time with my best friend," she said. "Really."

He considered her as he headed over to take a seat. "Anything new that I should know about since the last time I saw you? It's been … _oh, hours._ "

She rolled her eyes at that. "James, we don't have to treat this like a debriefing. I just want to be around you."

"I know, but you have to be getting bored," he argued.

"Are you?"

"No, but I … don't think I'm doing anything interesting for anyone to want to be around me for longer than necessary."

"You could say the same thing about me," Kari said. "I'm usually somewhere with a sketchbook or my paints, and that's not interesting for long."

"You do make up some great fiction about strange girls, though," he pointed out.

Kari smiled at that. "I have a good imagination."

"Yet you only came up with 'hug magnet'."

"It just… fit… so well," Kari said, trying hard not to giggle.

"Failure at naming. Try again."

"Dandy?" she teased.

"Wh-a-a-at? No."

"You so, so are," Kari laughed easily.

He shook his head and pushed his water bottle away. "Okay, I need a new best friend."

"That's just so mean," Kari said, giving him her best pout.

"I don't think so," he said, shaking his head.

Kari made a face at him, though before she could respond more than that, there was a poof of blue — and then a poof of pink as she came back, looking annoyed. The bamfs had spotted her and teleported her away from James, though she'd come back on her own steam. "Ugh," she said. "Sorry."

James let out a sigh and shook his head. "They're right, you know."

"They're not," Kari insisted. "It's harder for them to be as forgiving as the rest of us, even if I _know_ they understand what it means to be controlled." She directed that last part at the ceiling.

"They don't have to forgive anything," James said before he glanced over to spot a pair of bamfs across the way. "I don't understand them anymore. Obviously, they're smart enough to know I'm different."

Kari leaned over and rested her hand on his arm. "They'll come around," she promised. "They're just overly protective of us elflings."

"No, they won't come around, and they don't have to. Who was the last person to kill one?" James challenged.

Kari let her shoulders drop. "I don't think it's ever happened before," she admitted, though she frowned to herself wondering if her demonic grandfather had killed one or two.

He gestured to where the pair of bamfs were quietly growling. "They have good reason to hate me, then."

"But they don't get to say who _my_ best friend is," Kari insisted. "And _I_ know the truth."

James leaned toward her slightly. "They just want you to be safe."

"I know," she said, holding his gaze. "But I am safe. You're not going to hurt me; we both know that."

"I'm sure they thought that I wouldn't hurt them, too," James said.

"James..." She shook her head lightly. "That wasn't you. It was Apocalypse."

"I'm not the same person that I was," he said.

"No, you're not," she agreed. "And I wouldn't expect you to be. Just like Krissy doesn't expect Sying to be the same."

"Krissy was already married; she's following vows. You don't have to stick around. At all."

"So, what, you think someone has to take a vow just to stand by someone?"

"No, I'm saying she was obligated."

Kari leaned forward with a real spark to her gaze. " _Take that back this instant_ ," she snapped.

James blinked at her a few times, not having expected that reaction, but also unable to back down from a sudden challenge. "Make me."

Kari's tail was switching behind her. "You take it back. You take it back _right now_. My sister _loves_ him, and she cares about him, and it's not _obligation_ that has her standing by him!"

"No, it's obligation _on top_ of all the rest of it," James said. "I never said she didn't love him or cared about him."

"You just treat this whole thing so _cavalierly_!" Kari said, starting to get really worked up. "Like it's not possible for people to care or to love each other even in the worst of times, like — like it's all just a cold calculation in one of your experiments." Her eyes welled up with tears. "You can't scientifically measure love, James. You can't tell people to _stop_ , either."

He stared at her for a moment, clearly at a loss for words. "That's not _at all_ what I was trying to say," James said. "I was just … _I was agreeing with the bamfs_."

Kari glared at him as she wiped the fur under her eyes. "You just — you say things, and I don't think you realize how you _sound_ ," she said.

"I just want you to be safe. And happy."

"And I want the same thing for you," Kari insisted.

He let out all of his breath in a rush and gestured widely. "Why the hell are we arguing?"

Kari let out a shaky kind of laugh as she shook her head and sniffed. "I don't know," she admitted.

"Can we just not? Or do you want to hit me? Don't aim for anything bony. You'll just hurt yourself."

Kari laughed again and shook her head. "No, I don't — I'm sorry; I just got so frustrated with all of it — and it's not just you," she said in a rush. "All of it."

"I got that."

"Let's — let's do something else. Maybe you can help me look through some of my paint supplies… I need to get more."

"I can take notes for you," he said, nodding. "Provided you don't get teleported out."

"If they do that, I'll just teleport _back_."

* * *

Chance and Elin _had_ been asleep together in their room — right up until the bamfs appeared nearby, with a clearly panicked Sying along for the ride. They had decided to pluck him out of the room with Krissy when he'd gotten to the point that he wasn't responding to her. Like they were doing with Kari, they were trying to protect their family, especially after losing one of their brothers. And for Krissy, their goal was to try and keep her from getting overly upset when she was several months pregnant and prone to crying when this kind of thing happened.

But that meant that Elin and Chance suddenly had a very freaked out half-Kree curled up in a ball in the middle of their room.

"Oh, hello," Elin said under her breath, popping out of bed the instant she heard the sound of the teleporting. "What happened?"

"Dreaming," Sying said through his teeth, clearly trying to get it back under control.

"Oh, alright then," Elin said before she looked up at Chance, though she was already crouched next to Sying. "What do you want me to do?"

"Hug him, El," Chance said as he got up as well. "Helped me when I was the one freaking out."

She gave him a little look but slipped down to snuggle Sying tightly. She stayed there until Sying's breathing started to even out, and he clutched onto her.

"I remember all of it, Elin," he told her quietly. "I can't push it back when I'm asleep."

Elin held her breath for a moment and looked more concerned as she glanced up at Chance. "That … makes sense. You can't fight a dream."

Sying nodded as he tried to get a hold of himself again. "I was there when he killed Aunt Kitty," he told her in that same quiet whisper.

"She … made it to the hiding spot," Elin told him. "Dad and Peter and Rachel … Illyana … they were all mind linked when it happened."

"I'm so sorry," he said.

"That was all him," she told him, still speaking softly. "But … you didn't see her die. You only saw her get attacked. You need to know that."

"It's like seeing the moment someone was shot. Even if I wasn't there for the moment she _died,_ I knew what was going to happen," Sying said. "And I keep thinking… I keep trying to stop him, but I never can."

She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You know what Mom used to say about dreams, right? They can start out as memories or fears, but you _can_ control a dream. It's hard. And you have to focus to do it, but you can change the dream into what you'd like to have done."

"I'm trying," he said.

"I know, I just … wanted to repeat it. That's all."

He hugged her tighter for a moment before he finally let out all his breath and let her go.

"Hey, let's go work on the _Cherry Bomb,_ " Chance suggested. "Might help to get something to do with your hands."

"I'll bring Krissy some breakfast," Elin offered. "Just text her so she knows what's going on first and doesn't get too upset."

Sying smiled at that and nodded, and Chance gave Elin a little grin. "See you later, sweetheart — we're going out for some guy time!" he called out as he pulled Sying to his feet and headed off with him.

"Oh sure," she said, waving his way as she headed the opposite way. "Just remember: I'm taking James later. So … you're on your own for a while."

"I'll probably die of boredom," he promised.

Elin shook her head at him and made her way down to the kitchen first to get breakfast for Krissy. She carefully gathered up all of her favorite things and got a carafe of coffee before she paused and took a few steps backward to stop in front of the refrigerator and smirked to herself.

She couldn't help but hum to herself as she added the final touch to Krissy's breakfast offerings and covered the whole thing with a tea towel before she headed up the stairs. She barely knocked before she opened the door and gave her best friend a little smile.

"So … our guys are out being … guys. So I thought I'd make sure you didn't starve to death in the meantime," Elin said.

"You're so thoughtful," Krissy said, sitting up a bit. She looked a little less purple and a little more green, but she was getting late in the pregnancy at that point, and a flexible little gymnast with a tail was pushing on things that were not meant to be pushed on. "Is he okay?"

"He … was more or less together when the guys left to compare manliness," Elin said.

"He's been doing so well," Krissy said quietly as she patted the bed for Elin to join her. "But I know he still has nightmares. Last time, he thought he'd killed his dad instead of just hurting him."

Elin brought the tray over and pulled a chair to set the coffee on. "This time, he said it was when Kitty died," she told her, pouring her a cup of coffee.

"That one tears him up," Krissy admitted.

"I told him that she didn't die then, which I know won't help a lot. But she did get to see the people she loved most — most of them, anyhow — before she did go."

Krissy nodded at that, her lips set in a frown, though she couldn't quite stop the little scoffing sort of laugh when she saw the pickles that Elin had brought up. "Really, Ellie?"

"What? That's not a thing? I thought that was a thing," Elin said with a little shrug.

Krissy laughed and reached over to shove Elin in the shoulder. "I may be pregnant, but even my cravings are not _that_ ridiculous."

"You don't know … it might be what you really want but are trying _oh so hard_ to deny," she laughed.

"Oh, I hate you so much sometimes," Krissy said, wrinkling up her nose.

"Yeah, but admit it … you're curious now," Elin said, gesturing to the jar next to Krissy.

"No. So, so much no," Krissy insisted, wrinkling her nose. "Don't even open it. I _will_ throw up on you."

"I'm sure it won't be the first or last time," Elin said in a sigh as she leaned back next to Krissy.

"You know, Mama said that the first trimester was the worst for feeling sick, but she was so, so wrong," Krissy grumbled.

"Well … I don't know what to tell you other than … um. Maybe that just means she's healthy?"

"And active. I swear, if she gets super speed, Sying will be _impossible_ to live with," Krissy said.

"Then I'll just cross my fingers for your sake," Elin said before she reached over to rub Krissy's back. "Sorry you're miserable."

"Me too," Krissy grumbled. She leaned over to rest her head on Elin's shoulder. "But she's just… going to be so amazing."

"I'm glad you're all … glowy and happy," Elin told her. "It is a cute look on you."

Krissy giggled at that, snuggling into her friend's shoulder a little better. "I always thought I'd have a nice, big family."

"Well … nothing says you can't," Elin said with a nod. "Just … maybe take your time on getting it. No rush."

"We actually weren't actively trying," Krissy admitted. "We talked about it, but obviously, I wasn't expecting... "

Elin turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "My mother told me that if you're not actively trying not to, then you're trying. That's … the philosophy I'm running with."

"If you say so," Krissy said with a smile. "But I'm glad. It makes Sying happy."

"I know, and I'm really glad that you and the little one are anchoring him so well," Elin told her earnestly.

"He is pretty nervous," Krissy admitted. "He's so worried; he still has moments of panic. He doesn't want our baby girl to have a 'flighty father' I think is what he called himself." She shook her head. "He's a sweetheart. But he doesn't give himself enough credit."

"I think that's a running issue with our favorite Horsemen," Elin said. "Not enough credit."

"As I understand it, that was part of the brainwashing," Krissy said.

Elin shook her head at that. "I wouldn't be surprised, but I swear, Kris, I don't know what to do with James half the time or better. He's drifting. So hard."

Krissy leaned over and put her arms around Elin in a serious snuggle. "Kari's worried about him. Papa too."

"It's so frustrating," Elin said, nodding. "And if it's not Apocalypse hang ups with him, he's got this whole … attitude like he doesn't _deserve_ to even try. I thought for sure having Alyssa by would get him flirting for the sake of flirting … but I swear. Nothing."

"I don't even know what to tell you," Krissy said. "These boys… they're going to drive me up the wall."

"They're idiots, all of them," Elin decided.

"That's why we're having a girl," Krissy giggled.

"Thank goodness," Elin said.

"Will you be godmother?" Krissy asked. "And take care of her and make sure she can scare boys to bits?"

"Seriously?"

"Um, yes," Krissy said. "Sying and I both _adore_ you."

"Um, yeah," Elin replied in the same tone. "If that's what you want me to do, yes."

"Good," Krissy said with a smile. "She'll be able to take down any boys until she's, you know…" She gestured at herself. "Eighteen, I guess," she said with a sheepish smile.

"I will be failing in my duties if I don't give any stupid boys a hard time that chase her," Elin said.

"Oh good. I knew we picked well," Krissy said.

She smiled and shook her head again before she decided to redirect. "Did you hear about Sadie and Howard?"

"Considering my little brother was there when he came rushing in all dashing and _worried_ about her?" Krissy giggled. "Totally."

"Is he heartbroken?" Elin asked with a little laugh.

"A little bit," Krissy admitted with a laugh. "He flirts with every single girl his age, and when they flirt with other boys, he's just so _shocked_." She shook her head. "He moped for _days_ when the twins started dating their space boys."

"Oh, then it's probably good that he didn't check in on Sadie's movie night ... "

"Do I even need to ask? Considering it's a Stark and your sister?" Krissy asked.

Elin grinned almost proudly. "She's the aggressor."

"Oh my gosh, Ellie."

"He's so stunned he doesn't know what to do other than just roll with it."

"That is amazing," Krissy giggled. "She'll have him wrapped around her finger by the second date."

"Pretty sure she already does," Elin laughed. "She said she laid down the ground rules — which was basically that she was in charge."

"He isn't going to know what hit him," Krissy said. "Your sister is a heartbreaker."

"She is, and she has a nasty mean streak too, so God help him if he ticks her off."

"I'm sure he's aware," Krissy said, laughing. "The way Chance tells it, that's half the allure."

"Clearly, they're touched in the head."

"Probably," Krissy teased.

Elin pushed the tray closer to Krissy. "Don't forget your pickles. To go with your pancakes."

"Nasty mean streak," Krissy said, scrunching up her nose at Elin.

"You _love_ my nasty mean streak."

"Oh sure," Krissy said, laughing at her as she poured her syrup. "It has to come out sometimes."

"Yeah, but I'm not a demon, so the only excuse I can use is just … instincts."

"Love you anyway, Ellie."

"Love you too, obviously." When Krissy turned her head, Elin refilled her coffee cup for her, then snuggled down into Sying's spot, though when one of the bamfs came over to get a snuggle, she growled at him. "Don't start," she warned him.

The bamf teleported away from Elin and pouted dramatically.

"They're being … demons," Elin explained.

"They _are_ demons," Krissy said, leaning back. "And they're just trying to protect my little sister."

"I understand that," Elin said, nodding, before she glared at the little guy that was pouting. "I just wonder how they would have reacted if my brother had managed to do himself in like he was _trying_ to do."

The bamf frowned her way for a moment and kicked the floor before teleporting away, leaving Krissy shaking her head. "They… need time."

"I know," Elin agreed. "And he needs space and can't get it."

"Yeah, I think it helped Sying a lot to go to Hala. I wish James had something like that."

"He won't go to space," Elin said. "But I think it's about time to intervene."

"Well, he's welcome to an inducer," Krissy said. "That will help."

"He's stubborn like Dad and refuses to wear one."

"He's just making it harder on himself," Krissy said, rolling her eyes.

"He wants someone to hit him," Elin told her. "Or hurt him."

"Leaving aside the part where that means he wants someone to break their hand…"

"He's still not healing. He thinks it'll even out."

"No offense, Elin, but your brother is an idiot."

"No kidding," she said. "But I've been saying that forever."

Krissy shook her head behind her coffee cup. "I hope he snaps out of it soon. I know he's improving, but still."

"Yeah, I know," she agreed. "I think part of it is that he missed the funerals."

"Papa was a mess," Krissy said softly. "I don't think he could speak when we buried the bamf, and it wasn't that different with Kitty, even if he was supposed to speak."

"Yeah, but James saw Vanessa was dead and rushed to help Chance," Elin told her. "And he never got to … he didn't get to say goodbye properly, and he knows her funeral was a small affair. And that's in addition to the others. He missed all of them."

"Yeah," Krissy said quietly. She glanced up at Elin. "We… we couldn't decide on godfather. Sying wanted to ask James, but it's so up in the air, we're thinking about Chance instead. I'm not sure James would _accept_ it."

Elin had her eyes narrowed slightly. "Yeah, well. You gotta do what you think is right. I know Billy had a private word with James, and that was when he started to... you know... not actively look for an opportunity to kill himself."

"God bless Billy Kaplan," Krissy said.

"Yeah, I think he's just taking pity on him because he was so upset to hear what happened that day? You know. Before the Apocalypse nonsense really got into full swing."

"He's a romantic," Krissy said. "Kaleb insists that's why he is the way he is: his godfather's influence."

"He really is. And Chance and I are positive that 'Nessa saw what was going to happen — to her at least — just before it did."

"I didn't know that part," Krissy said softly.

Elin smirked a little bit and peeked up at Krissy. "She kissed the living daylights out of him just before the car got hit."

"Well, that's one way to go out," Krissy said.

"Thought you might like that," Elin said, though she frowned at her hands. That was a point that Elin was actually angry about … how she was sure Vanessa _knew_ , and instead of warning them, she took _her_ best way out and left James sideswiped. She knew James was torturing himself wondering if he could have helped her with a warning.

But there wasn't anything she could do about that. Which sucked.


	13. The Ones We Leave Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which settling into their new reality is harder than it looks for our heroes.

When the start of August rolled around, there was a marked difference in the Summers family. After all, the beginning of August would have been Cody's seventeenth birthday, and for the first time in nearly two decades, Scott and Annie were facing an anniversary without Cody's birthday celebrations the day after it.

It wasn't as bad as it had been during the funeral, but it was a depressing milestone all the same. Charlie had taken to curling up in her reading corner as she wrestled with her own feelings of grief, and both Scott and Annie were simply quiet.

Chloe was really struggling with missing her brother, and on more than one occasion, Annie had found her curled up in Cody's favorite spot in the living room, staring at the wall where he used to hang model airplanes and glue together finished puzzles.

Elin was keeping an eye on Chance, who absolutely wasn't his usual grinning self. The family was planning to visit Cody's grave, but it was also obvious that they were just having a hard time facing it the closer the day came.

Gerry was trying his hardest to help Charlie, too, hanging twinkling lights over her head as she read. "If you want someone to come with you…." he said slowly. "Or if you want to hide away somewhere afterward, you know you only have to ask."

Charlie looked up from the book she wasn't reading to smile at him and reached over to squeeze his hand. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"You got your powers turned off?" he asked, scooting over a bit closer to put his arm around her. "I know it's got to be overwhelming right now."

"It's not as bad as it was before," she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I can still …" She glanced up at Gerry and then bit her lip. "Yes, I turned them off. Mom and Dad alone are just…"

"Yeah," Gerry said, nodding seriously. "I can't imagine what they're going through. I really can't."

"I heard Chance telling Elin he always thought he'd be the one to get killed — you know, all things considered," Charlie said quietly. "Which didn't do _her_ any good. But what do you do when that's the memory you have of your brothers? One is always in trouble, and the other _died_."

"That's not all there is, though," Gerry said, giving her a soft sort of smile. "Think of how competitive they were with each other — and literally every other person in the world."

"Yeah, Cody hated to lose — and Chance had to be first at _everything_ ," Charlie said with a little smile.

"And the one-upmanship?"

"And the teasing," Charlie said with a smile. "Stoplight face…"

"And … the utter destruction on the firing range." Gerry said with a smile.

"And the look on my dad's face when K couldn't even argue with him."

"Exactly," Gerry said.

Charlie smiled as she leaned against his shoulder. "I miss him," she admitted.

"I know," Gerry said as he put his arm around her. "We all do."

* * *

On the other side of the mansion, Kaleb found Chloe sitting in her room. She'd bought a puzzle on an impulse, because it reminded her of Cody, but she hadn't started it at all.

"You know, if you start with the outer edges first, it's easier," Kaleb said as he sat down beside her and started to sort through the small pieces.

"I know," Chloe said but didn't move. "That's how Cody did it."

"What's the picture?" Kaleb asked, flipping over the box lid so he could see the airplane there. "Oh yeah, he would have liked this one."

"He used to have a picture just like this."

Kaleb nodded slowly as he thought he understood, slowly sorting through them all. "So you wanted to find the same puzzles to hang," he said. "Since the others were destroyed."

She nodded. "I want him to have something here. Just… some proof that he lived here."

At that, Kaleb reached over to pull her into a hug. "I'll ask my sister to print out an album of pictures from James's collection," he promised.

Chloe nodded slowly before her eyes welled up with tears and she simply buried her face in Kaleb's chest. He was too surprised to do anything other than hug her tightly until it was time for her to join the rest of her family as they went out to the grave. He was used to knowing what to say in the moment, but for Chloe… for some reason, all he could think to do was hug her. Tight. And then say a quiet prayer as he watched her leave with her family.

* * *

Chance had already come out ahead of the rest of the group and had asked Elin to give him some time with just his brother, though she was close enough to hear him when he started to talk to his brother.

"Kinda feel dumb talking to a stone," Chance said quietly. "But I wish you were here. You've missed a lot. Willow's got her mom's powers now. And Dad's racing James in the pool. Krissy's having a baby soon. And apparently, Uncle Anton is all twisted up because Leslie Ann has a boyfriend."

Chance was still sitting there quietly talking to Cody when the rest of the Summers group started to trickle in. Annie, of course, was touched by the scene and simply covered her mouth with one hand. But none of Chance's family members interrupted until he was done.

Then, he stood up, saw his parents, and rushed to Annie to hug her.

Each member of the group laid down a flower by Cody's grave, and they simply sat in silence for a long time before finally, they decided to head back together, hardly a word spoken between them.

They were surprised, then, when before they quite got back to the institute, they were joined by a very quiet Leslie Ann, who looked over each of them for a moment before she simply rushed over to hug Annie tightly.

"Is it alright if I—"

"Of course," Annie said before she could even get the question out.

Leslie Ann let out a soft sound and quickly crossed over to the cemetery, kneeling down beside Cody's headstone where the flowers had been left behind. She reached out gently to the flowers, weaving them into a wreath that grew into the ground before she rested a hand on Cody's headstone.

"I'm really sorry, Cody," she said quietly, bowing her head as she let her grief show again. She couldn't put any further words to what she was feeling, but she knew she had to be there for her baby cousin. She had to _try_ to make amends.

She didn't know how, though, and after a long time, she simply got to her feet, not feeling that much better for having come but knowing she needed to accept reality, like her parents kept telling her.

The rest of the group had already gone back to the institute, so Leslie Ann was still caught up in her own thoughts when she nearly ran into James coming out of the kitchen.

"James…!" Leslie Ann blinked at him for a moment.

He took a step back and obviously tried to give her some space. "Sorry. I was just … leaving."

"No, I..." She shook her head. "I ... how are you?" she asked at last.

He shrugged and kept his gaze to the ground. "I'm here. How about you?"

"I… I came to say hi to my cousin," she said.

James nodded at that and swallowed hard. "Sorry about that, too."

"I already apologized to him." She wrapped her arms around herself at the elbows. "I was there for the funeral, but I was kind of a mess at the time. I don't really remember it."

James had no idea what to say to that, or how to respond, and he simply went back to what was rapidly becoming his standby in such situations. He kept his hands to his sides, nodded, and tried to just get back out of her way.

She stopped and reached over to grab his arm. "James, I — I wanted to say I'm sorry," she said. "I tried to kill your parents."

"Yeah, so did I," James said.

"I was way more successful at it than you were," Leslie Ann said. "I'm sorry."

"They're fine," he said. "And I'm sure they don't hold it against you. I don't."

"I know, but I … I definitely still have to apologize. Because I did it. And I remember it." She let her hand drop from his arm.

He nodded and swallowed hard again before he frowned a little deeper. "Yeah, I need to do the same for you," he said softly. "I … it was my plan that they used. To grab you."

Leslie Ann sighed and then shook her head. "I don't blame you. Honestly."

"Well, I do."

"They would have figured it out without you. Sending my former best friend to come see me? Kind of a given."

"It was more the location they needed," James pointed out.

Leslie Ann nodded. "It was smart. Picking a parking lot where I couldn't see her."

"I'm sorry they got to you."

"Same to you," she said. "I remember what it felt like the first time I lost someone."

James stopped cold and looked up at her without moving. "Yeah, that … was how he got in. Actually."

"That was how he got into my mind, too," Leslie Ann said. "He… ripped open that wound all over again. That empty feeling. The loneliness. All of it." She shook her head, her gaze on the ground. "It just kept growing."

"It was too fresh for me to process," James said numbly. "He got rid of it to get a hold, then cranked it up hard." He crossed his arms and took a couple more steps back, away from her. "Guess it was whatever worked for the job." He frowned deeper and glanced back up at her quickly. "You should be with your family, though."

She bit her lip. "They're all together. And I wanted to talk to you anyway," she said. "I know the phones won't let us talk together, but I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Amadi's doing okay. She and her mom have been sending me flowers."

James nodded. "They shouldn't have had anything to do with this either."

"Yeah, if everything was right with the world, things like this…" Leslie Ann shook her head. "It took me a long time after the Leslie Initiative before I stopped blaming myself for what happened. And this is worse. This time, we actually did have something to do with it. I just wish … I wish I knew how to fix this."

James watched her for a moment and leaned against the cabinets when he couldn't back up any further. "Maybe it's simpler than you think," he said in a totally different tone.

She looked up at him with a frown. "Alright, I'll bite," she said at last, slowly, not at all sure where he was going with it.

"What's to stop you from going to the places that got hit and growing their crops?"

Leslie Ann blinked at him for a moment. "I… would they even let me anywhere near them?" she asked.

"Take Thor with you," he said with a perfectly straight face. "Or have your uncle ask permission first. Maybe if they have an idea of what to expect ... and that you'd have heavy bodyguards …"

Leslie Ann smiled at him before she reached over and simply hugged the stuffing out of him before he could slip away. "James, you're a genius."

"I'm really not," he said in a breath.

"Come with me," she said. "Please."

"Where?" he asked, setting his feet so she couldn't move him.

"To the crops," she said. "Be my bodyguard. With Thor."

He shook his head quickly. "I can't do that."

"Why not? If it would help me, I'm sure it would help you," she said.

"I was killing people in droves with my bare hands — not the same, and not something I can atone for." He shook his head again. "Add to that the fact that you do _not_ need to be seen anywhere with me. And honestly, I'm not … healing. I'd be a crap bodyguard."

Leslie Ann let out a breath and then reached out to grab his hand. "Thousands," she said softly. "I killed thousands of people. Like this." She met his gaze. "We have to start somewhere, James."

"Protect your fragile reputation," he told her, looking strained around his eyes.

"I was always taught that it's not worth taking care of yourself if you leave others behind," she said.

"You have plenty of people to keep with you," James said.

She smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. "James, I'm sorry. I just … I've been where you are. If you need it… let me know."

He hesitantly returned the hug and then nodded. "Thanks. Once we're off probation anyhow."

"Yeah, probably shouldn't freak my uncle out anymore than we already are."

"I'm not doing anything to screw him up," James promised. "I already got my warning from the harbinger."

"Oh you did? I didn't get anything like that," Leslie Ann said.

"Then you're not as stupid as I am," James said with a shrug.

Leslie Ann bit her lip. "I dunno," she said. "I had help. A lot of help. Thor even sent me a giant empathic flower, if you can believe it," she added with a small smile. "He's a softie."

"Sounds like him," he said. "I pissed Tyler off."

"I didn't think that was a thing?" Leslie Ann said, wrinkling her nose. "I was on a team with him and only saw that when things were _dire_."

"It's not supposed to be a thing, but I found the button."

"That's impressive," she said. She paused, but she decided to come clean, since James was one of the few people she thought could relate to what she was feeling. "All I can tell you is that I've got my dad breathing down my back. He's mad because David listens to me."

"Sounds horrible," he said. "You should find a guy that ignores you and treats you like crap. That'd teach him."

Leslie Ann chuckled at that. "And you should find someone that lets you get away with your stupid," she said with an affectionate smile.

"No, I have advanced levels of stupid that I've been told are entirely off limits," he said, shaking his head.

"If you say so," she said.

"I do." He nodded. "I don't think I'm allowed to tell you … or the other two, but … you can ask Tyler about it. He'll probably growl if you mention my name."

Leslie Ann shook her head and then wrapped her arms around him in a hug once more. "It was good to see you again," she said.

"Yeah," James said, nodding again. "You should catch up to the rest of them. I'm sure they're looking for you."

"Thanks for talking to me," she said.

"Thanks for not wanting to crack me in the mouth or something."

She laughed outright at that. "Believe me, if I wanted to do that, you'd have known the second I saw you."

He gave her a tight kind of smile as he shrugged his shoulders up to his ears and shoved his hands deeply into his pockets, walking backward away from her. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

The closer it got to Krissy's due date, the more Krissy felt like her body was trying to do her in. She was sick all the time and totally miserable, and the little girl inside her wasn't making things any easier when she was apparently trying to show off doing somersaults and back handsprings or something.

Sying did his best to make her more comfortable and to take care of her, but sometimes, she didn't even want to look at him. As badly as she wanted a family, she also _knew_ that that was a tiny Kree gymnast inside her, and she felt totally justified blaming him for some of the misery.

When that happened, her parents would usually step in to help, though today, it was Jubilee who was sitting beside her and stroking her back and helping her to settle out after another bout of sickness and dizziness.

"You're doing _so_ , so good," Jubilee said almost airily. "Is she bouncing off your diaphragm? Because I can fix that."

"Can you fix her _tail_ poking me and making it hard to breathe?" Krissy grumbled.

"Totally," she said, nodding. "Be right back; don't move." Jubilee got up and bounced off into the kitchen, only to return with an ice pack. "Hold that tight to the bottom of your ribcage. She'll move. Away from the cold."

Krissy smiled at her. "Thanks, Mom," she said.

"You're so welcome, you giant, purple marshmallow," Jubilee replied before she sat cross-legged next to her.

Krissy watched her own stomach for a while until the baby started to move, and Jubilee could see the tail sticking up through her skin as she moved. "Oookay. I'm blaming your son for … all of this. Just so you know," Krissy groaned.

"That's a solid finger to point," she agreed. "And I blame his father? So the circle continues."

"Somewhere, we're going to end up blaming the Kree Empire in general, and then that gets us in trouble with Melody's boyfriend…" Krissy said with a tired smile as she leaned her head on Jubilee's shoulder.

"Also, totally solid? And we can just … shake up Wolvie and point him at them while we watch with popcorn. Totally worth it."

Krissy giggled at that. "I had them both in here the other day talking about their _love letters_ , I hope you know. They have it bad. Didn't even stop after I puked up my lunch."

"I blame their father," Jubilee deadpanned.

Krissy laughed outright at that and then frowned down at her belly when her baby started to move with the hard laughter. "No, no, stop that."

"Yeah, the best part is she'll just sleep when she finally gets here."

"Oh, so she's just doing this for fun," Krissy said, making a face at her stomach.

"She's super happy right now," Jubilee said with a shrug.

Krissy leaned over and snuggled into Jubilee. "How did you do this with _two_ of them?"

"I legit considered killing Noh," Jubilee said as she nodded. "Regularly."

"See, my problem is that mine is already wracked with guilt about _other_ things, so I can't even get mad at him properly."

"No, but … that doesn't mean you can't cry and make him jump for you," Jubilee suggested.

"Oh, I definitely do that," Krissy said. "And not even on purpose. I swear, I've spent several months crying. And crying. And throwing up. The miracle of life."

"Yeah, you can bet some idiot guy came up with that handle," Jubilee said dryly.

"Probably floating on a baby high like your son is," Krissy said. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm _super_ excited about this baby, but… what _is_ it about them that makes their faces do that?"

"They're so out of touch with reality," Jubilee said. "And they don't have to put up with it."

Krissy shook her head and snuggled deeper into Jubilee. "Mom… I really do love him," she said. "I just wanted to remind you."

"I know," Jubilee said with a little smile. "But I wanted to make sure you know that you can complain about his miserable butt any time to me."

Krissy couldn't help but giggle at that. She relaxed a bit and was honestly starting to feel better. "I'm trying to take care of him too," she promised.

"You and this baby have kept him from entirely shoving his head into places it should never, ever be. You're doing plenty."

Krissy nodded. "I know. I remember what he was like after he came back from space. I saw him when Viper had us. I just… I just want him to be alright."

Jubilee gave her a quick little squeeze. "He will be. Don't you even worry about that."

"I've pretty much got nothing to do but sit here and be sick and worry," Krissy pointed out, gesturing to herself.

"Ah, the miracle of life," Jubilee answered in a sigh.


	14. How Does a Stark Flirt?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the younger kids are starting to pair off too.

Howard Stark came to the institute with a driver and a new panic button for Sadie when he picked her up, grinning widely. "Hey, Sadie," he said, clearly excited to show off his invention for her.

"Howard, you're early," she said, scrunching her nose up.

"I couldn't wait to show this to you," he said, holding up the panic button. "It's got a voice recognition patch in it that will let you call out a code word instead of having to push it. And it'll monitor your heart rate so that if there's a sustained elevated heart rate, it'll go off too."

She took the little device and tipped her head to the side as she looked it over. "Can you program it for a sustained growl instead?"

"I can program it for whatever you want," he said, still grinning widely. "As long as it's an audio trigger."

She smiled a little wider at that. "Alright, thank you," she said before she kissed his cheek. "Hopefully, I never have to use it."

"Yeah, I'd be glad if you never got jumped again," he agreed fervently.

"Mom's been working with me too, though," she said. "So this would be the last-ditch defense anyhow."

"Well, if it happens again, I bet I can rig up something to help work with your natural defenses and your fighting style, something that'll keep you from having to bulk up instead of keeping the ballet muscles loose—"

"Howard Stark, are you asking to spar?" Sadie challenged with a slow grin.

He blinked at her in honest surprise. "I — uh — no, I was just saying—"

"How else would you know what my fighting style was?"

"Well, I thought I'd look at recordings and sims and—"

"You want to _watch_ me fight?" she asked with one eyebrow raised.

"I… I can set up a program to analyze… you're twisting my words!" Howard said, still blinking at her.

She started to giggle and gave him another kiss. "But it's so fun to watch you try to backpedal."

Howard shook his head and smiled at her as he offered her his arm. "So, I got us a private booking in one of the best restaurants in the city."

"Sounds like fun," she said, nodding. "Do I need a dress?"

"Probably. It's pretty fancy," he said with a small smile.

"Then I should probably go change. Are you going to be alright here?"

His smile widened a bit. "Unless you want help?" he teased.

"If you think you can get by my father? Come on," she replied before she turned on her heel and started to head toward the stairs. "Otherwise, I'll be back soon."

"That… is just… not fair," Howard complained, staring at her as she headed upstairs.

Sadie chuckled to herself as she made her way up. This really was a whole lot of fun. And she knew Howard had been dating for long enough that he didn't get nervous easily, so this … she finally understood why her mother enjoyed picking on Tony so mercilessly. The whole family was easy to screw with.

She passed Charlie on the stairs with a grin. "Hey, Charlie, are you terribly busy?"

Charlie couldn't help but smile at Sadie when she heard her good mood. "I'm meeting up with Gerry for a date in about half an hour, but until then.."

"Oh, great; take your pick. I'm just getting dressed for a date myself. You could help me pick the dress, or you can babysit him, since he got in a rush and showed up all kinds of early."

Charlie smiled at her. "You're in such a great mood, I kind of want to hang around with you."

Sadie grinned wider at her. "Great. I could use advice on the dress anyhow — and if all goes well, I may have you check his intentions, if you don't mind."

Charlie raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I can totally do that," she promised. "It's kinda nice to be asked."

"Oh good," Sadie said, letting out a little breath. "I'm a little on the fence as to what to do with this one, honestly."

"Well, I know you're in a good mood, and I can tell you your crush melody is playing, so you must be at least a little interested."

"Well, yeah, I wouldn't go out with him otherwise," she said with a bright smile as she pushed her door open and bounced over to the closet.

Charlie nodded and closed her eyes. "I… can tell you he's nervous," she said as she sat down. "Definitely has a crush, too." She peeked an eye open at the dresses Sadie was pulling out. "So is the goal here to make him more or less nervous?" she asked with a smile.

"Um … I can do the nervous part without the dress choice," Sadie said with a wave.

Charlie laughed. "Well, he's definitely there already. But it's the good kind of nervous — sort of excited anticipation."

"Oh, _great_ ," Sadie said as she pulled out a few options. "He said it's a fancy place. So."

"So you need something with finesse. I like the strapless green," Charlie said. "You look good in green."

"I do pretty well in everything but purple," Sadie said, shaking her head. "And I think that's more … preference than anything." She set the dress out and started digging for the right shoes, then began to hum as she started getting ready. "So, where are you and Gerry headed?"

"We're going to grab something to eat and then go to the planetarium," she said. "Gerry can mimic the constellations, and it's a spectacular show when he gets going."

"Of course he can," Sadie chuckled to herself. "He's hilarious."

"You should see him when he brings them to life. Imagine the Great Hunter waving at you from the sky," Charlie said with a crooked grin.

"Oh, is he going to do that when the show starts up? Scare the bejeezus out of the announcer?"

"He is officially not allowed to do that anymore," Charlie laughed.

"Officially from them or officially from you?" Sadie asked as she peeked out of the bathroom while she pinned her hair up.

"From them," Charlie said. "I thought it was hilarious."

"There is more than one planetarium," Sadie pointed out.

"Yes, but it's more fun to go and then sit out on the grass close to this one. There's a perfect hill right by the planetarium where he can really put on a show."

"That's adorable; you know that, right?" Sadie said. "The way you smile when you talk about him?"

Charlie couldn't help but blush. "He's… well." She cleared her throat. "I do like him a lot."

"You lo-o-ove him," Sadie sang.

"When did this turn into me and Gerry instead of you and Howard?" Charlie asked.

"When is it ever about just one couple?" Sadie asked.

Charlie shook her head at that. "I like the red dress, too. If you're going for 'knock his socks off'."

"Oh, well. Socks off is always best," she agreed seriously.

Charlie smiled at that and shook her head lightly. "I kind of want to be there when you come downstairs, just to see and hear the reaction."

Sadie grinned wider. "Alright. That could be a really good measure."

Charlie grinned at that, leaning back on the bed. But while Sadie was changing, she was thinking about Gerry and examining her own feelings to see if they were really shifting into that deep love that she felt from him. She knew _his_ feelings were deep but… hers…

She thought about it and decided she was falling deep too. And she wondered if that was a good thing, considering everything going on in her family at the moment.

Before Charlie could get too lost in thought, Sadie came out, her hair and very light makeup fixed to perfection, and then switched the green dress to hold out two red ones. "Short or long?"

"Short," Charlie said. "It's summertime, after all."

"This is true," Sadie said before she simply hung up the longer dress and changed on the spot. She had Charlie zip her up and then spun in place. "Okay?"

Charlie grinned at her. "Oh yeah. He's going to be unable to speak for half the date," she teased.

"It's going to be a very quiet date, then," Sadie said seriously, then slipped into her shoes. "Alright. If you're going to be sneaky, I'll bet the boys are waiting for us."

Charlie grinned. "Come on, then. I've got a cute boy to see, and you have a cute one to knock over."

Sadie smirked and waved for Charlie to go ahead. "I'm going to grab my lipstick — and the new panic button he made for me."

"He brought you a present?" Charlie giggled delightedly.

"We were supposed to go out the night I got jumped after ballet," Sadie explained. "And he might have gotten a little upset when he heard the story."

"We all were," Charlie said. "Whenever one of us gets grabbed, we all get mad. I could hear your dad when he got home…" She let out a low whistle and let that speak for her.

"He was really ticked," Sadie agreed. "They got what they asked for, though."

"Seriously." Charlie shook her head as she headed off. "Meet you down there."

Sadie stopped at the top of the stairs and let Charlie go on ahead, listening to the playful banter between Charlie and Gerry for a couple of minutes before she was careful to get her grin under control and then took her sweet time coming down the stairs. She hit the bottom and walked at an easy pace to where the others were, keeping every movement connected and controlled. "Ready when you are," she called out with an almost bored expression.

Just as Charlie had predicted, Howard simply stopped and stared at Sadie when she made her appearance — and it was obvious Charlie was tickled, because she was grinning widely.

"Sadie," Charlie said in a whisper only Sadie could hear, "he is so stunned. You may need to worry about intentions — even if they _do_ come from honest interest."

But Sadie simply blinked Charlie's way to let her know she'd heard her before she turned back to Howard. "Is this too much? Or do I need something much more understated? I think I have a green one …"

"You look great," Howard finally said, his eyes still wide but his grin stretching ever wider.

"Alright, if you're sure," she said before she took his offered arm and waved at Charlie and Gerry.

Charlie was positively giggling to herself as she shook her head. "Oh, she is going to chew him up and spit him out."

"If that was true, you wouldn't let her go out with him," Gerry pointed out.

"They're both interested," Charlie assured him.

"I thought she was going to chew him up and spit him out," Gerry said, his head tipped to the side. "That doesn't sound interested both ways."

"It's… complicated," Charlie said, shaking her head. "She's interested, and so is he, but they're not old enough to be in it _deep_."

"They are way too young to be complicated," Gerry pointed out.

"All I can tell you is that their intentions both line up, so take that as you will," Charlie said, shaking her head as she took his arm.

"I take it that they're both crazy," Gerry said with a nod.

"You could definitely call it that," Charlie laughed. "Now come on; are we going on a date or not?"

Gerry chuckled as he took her hand. "Right, of course. What was I thinking? Planetarium, here we come."

* * *

Howard and Sadie had honestly enjoyed themselves during their date, but Howard couldn't help but frown when he saw as they were getting ready to leave the restaurant that the paparazzi seemed to have figured out that there was a story there and were congregating en masse.

"Oh, crud," he muttered under his breath.

"What?" she asked, turning to look up at him.

"Cameras," he said simply, gesturing to the paparazzi. "They're going to mob us as soon as we step outside."

"That bad?" she asked.

He let out a sigh. "The older I get, the more they expect me to be a playboy like my dad," he explained. "So yeah, your face is going to be all over the tabloids. Sorry."

"And have you given them reason to think that?" she asked with a tiny bit of teasing in her tone.

He shrugged. "I've been on a few dates," he said. "Most of them only lasted one date, so it kinda looks like I'm just… doing… that."

"I guess we'll see how it goes," Sadie said. "Don't worry; I won't trash your rep either way."

He smirked at that and offered her his arm — and as he'd predicted, they were mobbed with camera flashes and questions as soon as they stepped out.

But Sadie did … _okay,_ considering. She held her head high, refused to look at any of them, and simply had Howard lead her through the mess. Once they got into the car and _finally_ got some forward motion, she set her purse aside and reached up to pull the pins out of her hair. "They really like you, don't they?"

Howard shook his head. "No, they're just hoping I'll do something to fuel their careers," he said. "I think I'm a disappointment to them."

She turned his way and reached over to take his hand. "Yes, well. If that's disappointment, it's still a step up from the stuff I usually hear if I'm with Mom or Dad. Or Elin, for that matter."

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll read about it; you're corrupting me or something," he said with a crooked smile. "Which would be a nice change."

She shrugged at that. "If they even recognize me," she pointed out. "I can usually walk down the street with no problem."

"Yeah, you're not quite the carbon copy your brother and sister are," Howard said. He grinned. "Don't take that wrong; I think it just makes you that much more special. Unique."

"And he's searching for the sweet talk," she said in a quiet tone almost like a sportscaster.

"Is it working?" he asked, one eyebrow quirked.

"Maybe less about the family … unless you want me to compare you to your dad …"

"Point taken," he said, laughing as he leaned back with his arms spread out on the seat behind them. "Well, I could also go on about how they'll figure out you're a spectacular dancer, and then we'll get stories about me dating in the entertainment industry… _way_ over my head."

"Please," she said, shaking her head. "You're not in over your head. Yet."

"Hey, you've got Aunt Nat going on about how good you are at ballet. If you're not more famous than I am by the time we're twenty, I will be _shocked_."

"I'm reasonably sure that isn't going to happen," she said, giving him a genuine grin.

"Hey, I'm not the genius my dad is, and I have no interest in donning the armor. I'm _boring_. I just sit home and play with tech. You're beautiful and graceful, and people will fall at your feet," he listed off, then raised an eyebrow her way. "I'm right on this."

"I'm also impatient," she said with a touch of a growl.

"You want people falling at your feet _now_?" he teased.

She shook her head slowly. "I just want to know if we need to wait for the headlines before you decide if it's worth the trouble to go out again."

"What?" Howard sat up a little straighter. "Hey, no, I don't listen to — how's next weekend look for you?"

She shrugged one shoulder up. "I'll have to check my schedule."

Howard raised both eyebrows at that as he tipped his head down to catch her gaze. "What, you waiting until the end of the date to see if it's worth it?" he asked with a little smirk.

"Maybe," she replied easily.

He raised both eyebrows at her before he simply leaned in and stole a long kiss. "Okay then."

When the kiss broke, she bit her bottom lip, closed one eye, and tipped her head to the side. "I'll think about it."

He let out a laugh before he shook his head and simply moved in closer for a much more involved kiss, grinning the whole time as the fairly put-upon driver just shut the window between them and the front seat.

Sadie laughed. "If that's what it takes to get five minutes of privacy …"

Howard just kept grinning at her, not having drawn back after the kiss at all. "You know, if you want privacy, you just have to _ask_."

"I don't know; I like pushing people's buttons," she said with a grin. "So … what now? Mr. draws-a-crowd?"

"Now, I'm absolutely willing to keep kissing you until you agree to another date — and after, really," he said, still grinning at her.

"That sounds like a solid plan," she said, nodding lightly. "You might need to kiss the sense out of me for a 'yes', but … by all means, carry on."

He started to laugh at that before he pulled her into another more solid, and very involved, kiss. "Oh, if I have to," he said, though he was laughing to himself and couldn't quite pull off the fake put-upon tone.

"You know you can't lie to me, right?" she teased before she nipped at him. "Bad acting … minus two points."

"I was going for a tease, but if I'm behind, I can catch up," he said with a grin as he simply shifted the way they were seated in the limo and got one hand tangled in her hair to keep her there.

The two of them carried on for a good long while, though it simply wasn't something that could go on all night. Not without ending with someone getting eviscerated. So when they finally broke up their makeout session when the limo arrived at the mansion, Sadie gave Howard a little nod. "Alright. I'll find some time."

Howard was clearly still not all the way thinking as he nodded his agreement. "Right. Next weekend," he said, still playing with her hair and grinning.

She gave him another, much less frantic kiss before she gave his wrist a squeeze. "Next time. Somewhere without the press corps."

"That'll take some doing, but I'll figure something out."

"I have faith that you will. You've got a whole week, after all."

"Six superfluous days," he agreed with a serious grin.

"Goodnight," she said, finally slipping away, though she didn't get too far before she realized that she'd come in _after_ Charlie and Gerry.

Charlie had already said goodnight to Gerry, but she was waiting for Sadie when she came in. "Okay, you're both on the same page but, um, you know you're fifteen, right?"

Sadie let out a sigh. "Yes, yes, I know … and it just … happens."

"Uh-huh." Charlie shook her head. "Sadie, you need to be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt — and I don't want your dad to have to murder Tony and Pepper's only child," she said, smirking despite herself.

Sadie couldn't help but smile at that. "I won't let him do that, and I'm sure Mom would stop him too," she said. "And I don't want to hurt him. _Really_."

"Then maybe consider not skipping right to the hot and heavy," Charlie said. "I could hear it from here — he's still coming down from the high."

"That … was a little unexpected, really," Sadie said, biting her lip. "I got caught up."

"Yes. I can see how dating a Stark would be something you do when you expect to take it slow."

But at that, Sadie shook her head. "No, no, that's not it," she swore. "It's not the name … he's just very, very sweet — and fun. And he can _take it_ when I pick at him."

"Yes, but… please be careful," Charlie said, her eyes wide. "Fun doesn't mean smart."

She drew in a deep breath and nodded her head. "Yeah, you're probably right. I know. And I promise I'm not going to do what Elin did. At all."

Charlie looked surprised and then relieved as she let her shoulders drop and rushed over to pull Sadie into a hug. "Oh, I like you," she teased.

"Of course you do," Sadie replied. "I'll just .. I'll talk to him. And tell him we need to be a little better about this swept up thing." She stopped and then cringed. "There were cameras. And he was genuinely upset over it."

"Well, you did say that he was sweet," Charlie said, smiling despite herself. "And you're sweet too, to notice that."

"It was hard to miss. He started apologizing." She nodded to herself again. "Okay. I think … I think I'll ask maybe James to meet him next time he comes over. His quiet, can't-read-him-right glare is coming along nicely."

Charlie laughed outright at that. "Yes. Perfect. I'm going to need to see that when it happens."


	15. Peter Parker Picked up Pictures for Our Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we have a chapter of fluffy things, because we need fluffy things.

Kari was completely caught up in a new painting project, something that she wanted to do for Annie and Scott. She had asked James to help her pick out a bunch of pictures of Cody — with his family, with his friends, with the team — and she had a huge canvas spread out. She hadn't told Annie and Scott yet, but… that was mostly because she didn't know when she'd be done with it, and she didn't want to say that she had something wonderful for Christmas when it might take her a while.

That was how James found her, with paint on her fur in several places as she worked on the center image, the most recent picture they had, just a few days before it had all gone horribly wrong.

He very quietly took a seat out of her line of sight to wait for her to get done working. He really didn't want to interrupt her when she was in a flow. She was so intent on what she was doing that it took her quite a while to even register the fact that James was there. And when she did, she broke into a huge smile.

"Hey," she said, putting aside her paints.

"Don't let me slow you down," he said. "Just trying to keep out of everyone's way." He tipped his chin up to the painting. "It looks fantastic. As always."

"Thanks," she said. "I'm really trying to get it perfect." She leaned back and glanced at the clock, shaking her head to herself. "I'm not going to be done by Christmas," she said with a sigh.

"Doesn't matter; they'll love it whenever you get it done."

She smiled at that as she went back to what she was doing. "I hope so," she said. She glanced up at him out of the corner of her gaze. "You know… I could do something ... well, not this big, but something similar for you," she said softly. "For Vanessa."

James shook his head quickly. "No, I don't think so," he said.

"Alright," she said. "You're not ready; it's fine."

"I don't know if I will be," he admitted, shifting the way he was seated on the floor so that he had his arms around his knees. "Whenever it eases up, I'll … I dunno. Maybe I'll print a picture again. But I don't see how looking at her will help anything."

Kari wiped some of the brown paint she was using from her cheek as she looked up at James. "It's … more about remembering," she said. She gestured at the unfinished painting. "Doing this… I remember the way Cody smiled and the way he was around his family. It's a much better memory to have when I think of him than of everything that happened when he died."

James shrugged at that and let out a little sigh. "Yeah, I don't know … she didn't have any family. It was just everyone here, and she didn't really _talk_ to anyone. Hard to share in it, ya know?"

Kari nodded slowly. "We liked her," she said. "I don't know if that helps, but I loved seeing you two together — how happy you were. And Charlie adored her, really."

"I think Charlie was probably the only one that knew her very well," he said softly. "And they were conspiring together."

Kari nodded again. "Have you talked to her?" she asked at last, gently.

"No," James said, shaking his head again. "Figured with the mess that I am, she wouldn't do too great anywhere near me."

Kari shook her head. "Chloe said she's been turning her powers off. You wouldn't affect her that way," she said. "She's still dealing with Cody, but… she was shaken up when she heard about Vanessa and _you,_ too." She bit her lip as she looked down at her project. "I don't know. Maybe it's just me. But I think it's important to remember people. I'd hope you would do that for me when I'm gone — talk about me and keep me alive that way."

"No," James said, though he gave her a little smirk. "You'd take everyone with you. Couldn't stand to be without you."

"Oh please," Kari said, blushing a brilliant purple. "That's ridiculous."

"With as dramatic as everyone in your family is? I'm right, and you know it."

"Oh, give me some credit," she said, smiling as she shook her head. "I'm not nearly as bad as Krissy is. Or Kaleb, for that matter."

"They'd all implode, and take us with," James said as he got to his feet. "You'd be all dignified, and they'd do the wailing widow impression."

Kari shook her head at him. "Well, I suppose that's true," she said with a soft smile.

"Don't worry about that," James told her. "You'll be world famous by then anyhow. Organized mournings in the streets. People trying to do tributes to your style … candlelight vigils, the works."

Kari shook her head at him, though she was blushing brightly, and he was getting a rise out of it. "You're ridiculous."

"They'll make your birthday into an international holiday."

At that, Kari simply started to laugh as she teleported over to James and wrapped him up in a hug. "You are so funny."

"I'm being serious," James said, keeping his straight face.

"You're being sweet," she said, shaking her head. "And I could say the same thing about you, you know."

"Then you'd be making stuff up," he said quietly. "They'll have parades for whole different reasons when I die."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No one will ever be able to capture your style. Photographic and otherwise."

"You've been inhaling too many paint fumes," James said, then frowned and started to head toward the door. "Is that why you do this all the time? You wanna get high?"

Kari shook her head as she gestured around her art room, at all of the sketches and paintings. "No," she said. "This is how I fall in love."

"By getting high," he decided.

She rolled her eyes at him. "No, by finding the beauty in life and the people around me, you … _Howlett_."

"If you say so," James muttered as he left. "Overly dramatic Elf."

* * *

They'd had a pretty long stretch of serious and somber in the mansion, so when it came down to John's first birthday, K was taken a little by surprise the day or two before when she realized that Kate and Annie had been working.

K herself had been working with Logan — a lot — and when they weren't out running one mission or another, they were curled up with the little ones or checking in on their teenagers. It wasn't that she wasn't planning on _something_ special for John's birthday. It was just she thought everyone was busy with their own things, and it would be a very small affair.

But to say that out loud would have been insulting to both the party priestess and the baking queen. So the morning of John's birthday, while filled with lingonberries and whipped cream, was also filled with Annie trying to get a color from John for the smash cake and the cupcakes.

She had all of her different dye colors spread out in front of him as she tried to get him to pick one. "Come on," she said with a smile. "Just pick which one you like best."

John carefully picked up a piece of his pancake and opened his mouth wide before he tried to feed it to Annie, looking at her expectantly with his eyebrows raised.

Annie let out a little laugh as she let him feed her the pancake. "Mmm," she said, nodding with a smile. "You're very sweet, John."

He gave her a crooked sort of smile and went right back to trying to pull apart more, kicking his feet under the table.

Annie let out a laugh that was part sigh as she looked over at K. "Oh, what do _you_ think?" she asked. "What color does he like?"

"He doesn't really seem to have a favorite," she said, shrugging. "Sorry. Just … take one you like."

"You are absolutely no help," Annie said, laughing to herself before she settled on the blue, simply because it was the simplest.

He looked over at her box of colors as she picked it up, following the container in her hand and then simply going back to his work, kicking and humming to himself. "I think that's tiny boy for 'yes, blue please'," K said.

Annie laughed at that as she set to whipping up the icing. "Yes, I think so," she agreed, humming a few old country songs as she got to work as well.

It wasn't long after John was cleaned up, though, that people started trickling in and the group in general started to gather up.

And John wasn't the only one that was watching everyone with some growing anticipation. Lily was simply staring at _everyone_. She still hadn't quite gotten used to large groups not being bad, but she wanted to. And it was a totally different experience for her to see all their Avenger friends coming in with big smiles and taking turns tossing John into the air. So it wasn't long after that started when she slipped over to where Chelsea was playing near Kate to ask, "What's hapninin'?"

"It's John's birthday," Kate explained with a smile. "Everyone wants to celebrate."

Lily tipped her head to the side and blinked at her for a long moment, clearly not understanding the significance.

Kate crouched down beside the little girl. "We want to celebrate the day our babies were born, because we were so happy when they were born." She booped Lily on the nose. "We can do the same for you too, when it's your birthday. We can celebrate the day you came to us, because we were so happy."

"I don' gots a birfday," she said with a frown.

"Sure you do," Kate said with a smile. "You have a day that you came to this world."

Lily crawled up into Kate's lap. "Oh-tay," she said with a scrunched up nose.

"Birthdays are for cupcakes and sweet things," Kate said with a smile. "And when Krissy has her baby, that's her birthday too," she said.

"Otay," she said, snuggling in. "Evwryone gots one?"

Kate nodded. "Everybody has one," she said. "The first birthdays are important, because they're first. So I'll tell you what — since you've only been here for one year, when your first birthday comes around, I'll make sure you get a big party too, with your favorite candy, okay?"

She nodded slowly to that and then turned to give her a hug. "If my dads and my _Wogan_ an' mama says otay."

"I'm really sure Billy and Teddy are already planning to spoil you rotten for your birthday," Kate said in a whisper. "And since I'm your godmother, I'm going to spoil you rotten- _er_."

Lily giggled over that and then climbed back down. "You siwwy, Aunt Kay-tee," she said with her hands on her hips. "I'm not gonna be spoil...ded."

"Silly, silly," Chelsea giggled. "Mama says so!"

Kate grinned at both of them and swept up one girl in each arm to blow raspberries into their cheeks. "You girls are so, so cute, and I'm never gonna get over it," she declared, kissing their foreheads repeatedly to get them to giggle.

* * *

Across the room, Peter Parker had once again taken up his title job as baby photographer, especially since when he asked why James wasn't doing it, he ended up taking a step back when the young man just gave him a dark look. "Okay. Fine. Lucky for you I brought my camera," Peter said, frowning to himself when he couldn't get a straight answer out of him.

He was taking several shots of James getting snuggled by Chelsea when Kaleb came over to peek over his shoulder.

"Oh yeah," Kaleb said, grinning. "My sister's totally a Hawkeye. Look at the hug magnet face going on over there."

"You're going to try to pin that on this one too, huh?" Peter asked, shaking his head before he snapped another shot, then turned to take one of Kaleb before he could pose.

"Hey, that's how I explained it to the bamfs when they were mad at Kari for sleeping in the same room as him," Kaleb said, teleporting behind Peter so he could see the picture. "Hey, I like that! I look great."

"Oh, are they a thing now?" Peter asked, only halfway teasing.

"That's not — _no_ , she was making sure he didn't _go_ anywhere in the middle of the night!" Kaleb said, shaking his head.

"I don't know," Peter said. "Girl sleeps over to watch over you …" He shrugged and turned to see John hugging Lily, who was giggling madly. "Were they in the same _bed_ too? That's a big indicator. _Huge_ tip off."

"She brought her own blanket," Kaleb said. "Come on. My dad would have a fit otherwise."

"But he was easily within snuggle zone," Peter said before he gave Kaleb a grin. "The potential for wandering hands was there."

"Trust me on this — James is _not_ ready to date my sister," Kaleb said, shaking his head.

"But you're saying there is an interest," Peter said. "From her at _least_ if she was willing to risk the wrath of her Catholic dad to go and _snuggle all night_ with lil' Hug Magnet Junior."

"Um, since she was twelve, I think?" Kaleb said, scrunching up his nose and closing one eye. "I dunno. She dated Harry for a while, and I think it's sort of a passing kind of… I dunno. Girls are weird."

"Does _he_ know that?" Peter asked, all the teasing tone gone.

"Like I'm going to ask James if he knows my big sister likes him," Kaleb said, pulling a face. "Puh-lease. If I'm talking to him, it's going to be the same brother-smackdown James started to set up for Howard the other day."

"Why did he set up to give Howie a smackdown?" Peter asked, walking the edges of the room with Kaleb following a few paces behind, his tail swaying slowly as he built up for the hit.

"Oh, well, he's dating Sadie now, so … big brother smackdown."

Peter startled — and it was plainly apparent that he'd done so when his camera went off rapidly from him pushing the button down for too long. "NO."

Kaleb's tail was swaying as he started to laugh. "It's true," he said.

"No, No … that's just … she can't date a _Stark._ "

"She is dating a Stark," Kaleb said, laughing even harder at the look on Peter's face. "Do you need to sit down?"

"You're just … a … sneaky little troublemaker," Peter said, going straight into denial as he moved to a better spot for the whole smash cake set up that Annie was arranging.

"You are confusing me with my little brother," Kaleb said with a perfectly dignified yet insulted look on his face. " _I_ don't have to lie to get _my_ kicks."

Peter stopped and turned to face him, openly weighing it out. "So … why are you telling me? If it was a really dangerous situation, Wolverine would have handled it by now. So what gives? You upset he's stepping into your turf or something?"

Kaleb flushed purple for an instant. "No. You — you _asked_."

Peter kept his head tipped to the side before he snapped an off-the-cuff photo of Kaleb's purple color. "Yeah, but … you brought in that cruel little bit about my goddaughter when we were on other things."

"We were talking about protective brothers," Kaleb argued.

_Snap_

"Yeah. I know. So … you want to have a chat with James? But you said it wasn't anything. What did this talk cover?"

_Snap-snap._

Kaleb blinked at Peter for a moment before he let out a noise of frustration and simply teleported away, reappearing on the other side of the room to talk with the Lee twins, pulling his arms through each of theirs.

Peter grinned to himself and went back to snapping pictures just in time for the mess to begin. Or … what should have been a mess. Instead, all he got was John with wide eyes loudly telling Annie that the cake was blue.

Annie couldn't hide her laughter as she nodded seriously. "Yes, John, I made it blue just for you," she said.

He grinned up at her but refused to make a mess of it, though he did tip his head to the side, then rested his head on his arm as he drew little patterns in the icing.

Annie shook her head and laughed. "Well, he is playing with it," she said.

"He's not our messmaker," K told her with a little smile.

As John kept doodling in the icing, though, Chelsea had come over to see why there was no mess and was looking at John with narrowed eyes like she couldn't believe it. "Stick your face!" she told him.

"Blue," he said, shaking his head and continuing to play with it.

"Stick your face!" Chelsea insisted.

"You!" John shouted at her before he smeared her cheek with blue frosting.

Chelsea blinked in surprise before she let out a shriek of laughter and rubbed her hand over the icing to stick her hand back in John's face. "Stick your face!"

He giggled and hid his face in his arm and tried to keep away, but the little guy really didn't have anywhere to go. And Chelsea was much bigger than he was.

Finally, Chelsea nailed him with her handful of icing and broke into peals of giggles all over again. "Allllll over!" she giggled delightedly.

He was making a face at the mess, and trying to keep the icing out of his mouth before he just started shaking his head 'no'. "Ick."

Kate shook her head as she scooped Chelsea up to get her away from any more trouble. "John doesn't like sweets and messes like you do," she explained gently. "But I bet Lily would like a cupcake if you want to get one with her."

Chelsea shrieked with happy laughter as she scrambled to go get the two biggest cupcakes she could carry in her tiny toddler arms to bring one over to Lily. "Cup-cake!" she told Lily happily. "Dis yours."

Lily happily took the cupcake with a grin and barely got the wrapper off before she started biting at the icing. And just the icing.

Chelsea _beamed_ at her as she started to meticulously lick her own blue icing. "I wike Wily."

Lily giggled at her and snuggled closer so the two little girls could eat in peace as they watched their older siblings carrying on.

The one good thing about a little guy that didn't want to destroy his cake, though, was that he was pretty easy to clean up — and didn't require the full bath just yet. But after a little while longer of playing and opening presents, John was tired, and K very nearly paused when James automatically stepped in to offer a hand.

She gave him a smile and a kiss on the cheek while James let John snuggle in, and after a moment, she stepped back to let him handle it. It was clear pretty fast, too, that John had missed his big brother's snuggles by the way he melted in — much faster than he'd been doing in recent months. It wasn't long after James got him off to the side and away from the crowds that John fell asleep.

And for the first time in a very, very long time, James just leaned his head toward him to listen to him breathe.


	16. Protective Big Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which James gets to use his reputation as Death for something actually worthwhile.... terrorizing Howard Stark.

James did _not_ like the Sadie's thought process. At all. So, he'd agreed to have a little talk with Howard. The guy was going to need it, after all, if he was getting too wrapped up with Sadie. So fast. So, _so_ fast.

Of course, he didn't have a ton of room to talk. It wasn't like he had been much older than her when he started dating. And … things. But Sadie had a reckless streak, which was probably part of what had Howard's attention.

And considering that their father was running missions like crazy trying to make up for what had been neglected earlier in the year and during the construction period, James had no trouble stepping in. He hadn't really seen Howard in a while anyhow. There was every possibility that he wasn't going to know what to do if James gave him a solid glare. And James _had_ stabbed Tony since he'd seen him.

So a little while before Sadie was set to meet up with Howard, James took the panic button Howard had designed, picked up a set of tools, and headed down to the kitchen table where the light was good to make a few adjustments of his own ahead of the date. It was a simple adjustment, really, not that he was going to tell either of them what it was. Everything in the device was sound and waterproof, with a little gadget that Tony had made that made the thing power up just from being in contact with skin.

So he was done with his tinkering long before Howard got there. He put the tools away, put the bracelet-panic device in his pocket, and got himself a bottle of water to wait.

When Howard did get there, Sadie had asked him to wait while she finished getting ready, and he looked honestly pleased to see James while he was waiting, breaking into a grin in the doorway when he saw him.

But James busted that up quickly with what Sadie had described to Charlie — the unreadable, silent glare that actually had been in use while he was working for Apocalypse. And that deathly glare was in full force for Howard.

Howard stopped where he was, frowning hard when he saw the look on James's face, before he shook his head and tried for a light, easy smile. "Alright, yeah, I'm going out with your sister. You can drop the look now; I'm not my dad."

"What look?" James asked.

"The—" Howard gestured to James with both hands. "—look."

But for that, James did shift it into an honest _glare_ as he drew himself up. "What. Look?"

Howard blinked at him for a moment. "Well, now it's the murder look, if you want to get technical about it. Come on, James, you know me!"

"Hate to break it to you, but this is just my face, man."

"Your face did not used to do that when we were in Chicago," Howard pointed out. "So… there's a look now."

"Things have changed," James replied. "So I guess this is the part where I have to tell you how it's gonna be."

"Probably," Howard agreed, leaning against the counter with his head tipped to the side. "Go ahead."

James' left eye twitched on hearing _permission_ to threaten him, so he went ahead and turned up the heat, speaking as he got to his feet, his focus locked on to Howard. "You'll be respectful. You'll keep your hands to yourself. And other things. If you cross any lines, I'll personally make sure you disappear." James smiled grimly. "Pretty simple."

Howard nodded, though James could tell there was a spike in his scent. "Yeah, I got it."

James still hadn't blinked once since Howard had walked in, and he didn't think Howard really _got it_ yet. "Do I need to think about _how_ you're going to disappear, or are you going to be a gentleman?"

"Hey, I know how to be a gentleman," Howard defended. "You've _met_ my mother. I'm probably more scared of her than you, to be honest."

"That's not exactly smart," James said.

"You haven't seen her get onto Dad," Howard said with a smirk. "Not _really_."

"I have," James said. "She turns a neat purple color. Freckles go pale."

Howard shook his head. "Point is, I know how to behave. I'm not…" He shook his head again. "I'm not that way."

"Good," James said with a smile that didn't look welcoming or friendly at all while paired with the death glare he was giving Howard. "Because if you _forget_ those good manners…" He leaned a little closer and let his voice drop to nearly a whisper. "I'll make sure that you never know what hits you until you're _far_ away from anything even resembling help." James pulled back slightly and waited until Howard was looking him in the eyes before he continued."You know I went in to bat clean up for all _three_ of the other Horsemen, right?" Howard swallowed hard. "They could only _prove_ the messy ones and the ones I admitted to. You know that, right?"

Howard's eyes were wide as he nodded. "O-kay. Message received. Please turn down the murder now."

James continued to hold his gaze, unblinking, until Sadie showed up and almost skipped over to them. "Alright — we're off," she sang before she gave James a quick peck on the cheek and then took Howard's arm. "Ready to go?"

"Right, yeah," Howard said, trying to quickly shift his focus to her with a small smile, though he could feel James' gaze locked onto him — and the guy _still_ hadn't blinked.

"Wait," James called out, getting them both to stop before they crossed the room all the way. He kicked himself away from the counter and made his way over to Sadie. He gave her a much more pleasant but grim-looking smile as he took the panic-button bracelet out of his pocket and made sure to put it on her wrist himself, holding _her_ gaze this time as the lock on the little device snapped into place. "I fixed it for you."

"Oh .. okay…" Sadie said, but Howard cut in.

"It wasn't broken," Howard said with a frown. "I made that myself."

James's smile got a lot more troublemaking. "Yeah, but … it needed an upgrade. Little details. Like how none of the screws are visible now."

Howard narrowed his eyes. "Uh-huh," he said slowly.

"And how _now_ , the thing won't come off. So mind your pulse. Don't want it sustained high for too long."

Sadie whirled on him with a growl. "You did _what_?"

James did finally smile for real. "You needed help. I know how your impulse control is." He shrugged openly. "And I'm sure Mom and Dad won't be bugged one bit."

Howard narrowed his eyes even further before he turned to Sadie. "Yeah, alright, I hope your babysitters enjoy watching us play tennis," he said in a clearly annoyed tone.

"I wouldn't try hacking into it either," James said as he headed toward the kitchen. "I changed the coding. It'll alert Dad directly. And I know you weren't planning on tennis."

Howard glared James's way as he took Sadie's arm and they headed out, grumbling under his breath that "scent must be broken if he can't even tell _that_ much."

"Oh, sure," James said under his breath as the door closed. "Insult me too. Be one back and forth on the tennis court and onto other things. Like I don't know your backhand is crap."

James was still shaking his head to himself over the whole thing when Charlie came down, smiling to herself. "Well, you managed to make them both furious. I don't know what it was, but they're in harmony now. Frustrated, dramatic teenage harmony."

"They were pushing it too far, so I made that harder to do," James told her frankly.

"Well, I won't argue that. I could hear them pushing it too," Charlie said as she got herself a cup of coffee. "Just don't do that to me and Gerry and we're fine. We're grown adults," she teased, just because she could.

"I made her little bracelet lock," James said before he tipped his bottle of water back. "He said it would trigger an alert if it recorded an elevated pulse over an extended period. Idiot."

Charlie couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well, he made it in the throes of worry about his new girlfriend," she said.

"And he made the cardinal mistake of thinking she'd be scared. All I got off of her when she came back was still how ticked off she was."

"Boys," she said, waving her hand as if that explained everything.

He paused for a moment and watched her before he crushed his bottle and turned to go. "Have fun with Gerry."

"You won't stay until he gets here?" she asked with a frown.

"Didn't think you'd want me to."

"Why not?" she asked with her nose wrinkled. "I came down to say hi, didn't I?"

He looked a little uncomfortable as he watched her. "I don't know … I know I'm a pain to be anywhere near for you."

Charlie fixed him with an incredibly serious look as she shook her head. "No," she said. "It's a relief to hear you, if you want to know the truth."

"I think you need to be checked for head trauma."

She laughed and shook her head. "No, see — when you were Death, your song was _gone_ ," she explained. "Hearing your song again, even if it's subdued and sad — I can't tell you what a relief it is."

"That doesn't make sense," James said.

"Which part?" Charlie asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Didn't think it would come back. I know I don't feel like myself. At all."

"It's definitely changed," Charlie told him. "But the underlying music is the same. It's like listening to a song being played by a different orchestra than you're used to. A slightly different arrangement — a little slower and more melancholy — but it's still _you_."

"I didn't think that was possible."

"It happens," Charlie said. "Like I told you before, that's why it would be hard to program in one person's song. It changes over time. Chance's and Elin's changed when they got married, for example. Krissy's changed when she found out she was pregnant. Granted, it was more subtle than yours was, but… it still changes."

"Not sure if I want it."

"Your song?" she asked, frowning his way. "I don't think you have a choice in it — it's just who you are."

He shook his head at that. "That figures."

"You can't just say you don't want to be you," Charlie reasoned.

"Sure I can."

"Well, you can, but that will never make it happen," she said. "Not unless you find someone else to take you over. That's the only way I can think of that you wouldn't be you. And even then…" She let out a breath. "I can still hear Jana, you know."

"I think that's a little different," James pointed out.

"It is," she agreed. "When I couldn't hear you or any of the other Horsemen, I … sort of fell apart," she admitted. "I thought you'd never be able to come back."

James gestured with both hands, almost to himself. "Not sure I can."

"Well, I can hear you, and that's a big deal to me," Charlie said simply. "When you four came back… well, I didn't hear it at the time because Nate had turned my powers off, but when I heard it… I cried, I was so relieved."

"Then the others sound like themselves? How bad were they?"

Charlie let out a breath. "They sounded like themselves the way you sound like you. It changed them too," she admitted. She glanced up at James and seemed to size him up. "I think you'd be surprised how similar they sounded to you. Guilt and shame and heartbreak. I was so relieved to hear Leslie Ann last time she was here, because she's finally not…" She let out a breath. "It was bad for a while. For you two especially."

"That's what she said," James admitted.

"I only peeked a few times," Charlie said. "It … it was overwhelming. I turned it off."

"Which is why I can't figure out why they won't just .." He pushed one sleeve up to glare at the bracelet on one wrist. "... take them off and let me leave."

"Because you'd stay gone," Charlie said.

"Yes, I would," he agreed. "Because I don't belong here."

Charlie let out a sigh as she reached over and pulled him into a hug. "Yes, you do," she said quietly. "I don't know what Apocalypse told you, but he told Leslie Ann the same thing — that she didn't belong with the X-Men or the Avengers — and he is _such_ a _liar_."

"It's not just that," James admitted. "It's everything that happened. All of it. And watching you guys try to remember your brother … this place is for heroes."

"Well, if that's true, I sure don't belong here," Charlie said flatly. "I'm just a psychologist. Kari's an artist. My mom's a cook…"

"And I did a lot more than just tinker things," James said.

Charlie let out her breath before she reached out to rest a hand on his arm. "Gerry thought that way for a little while," she told him. "After he came back from spending a month with Viper. Torturing people. Learning how best to make them _hurt_."

"I took out scientists that were working on projects that would have _helped_ everyone. But they had a hand in anti-mutant stuff too … gone. With all their research."

"Yes, you did," she said with a nod. "But I know for a fact it wasn't you, because your song wasn't there."

"Part of it was me, Charlie. I could reason. And work around it just like any other time. If he'd just taken over my whole body, he would have probably been making all of his progress with a sledgehammer."

"Dad told me about how it works," she agreed. "He used my dad's strategic mind and made him work for him too. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, he told me," James said. "But I didn't fight him. That's what I've been trying to tell them, but they won't listen."

Charlie frowned at James for a long time before she closed her eyes and let out all her breath. "James… you sound like Cody."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"He couldn't understand why no one was mad at him for being Sinister's apprentice. Even if it was to save Chance, he couldn't wrap his head around why he wasn't in trouble for attacking Kurt and your mom. And you sound so much like him."

"This is a little bit bigger of a mistake than going along with Sinister," James said.

"James, your only mistake was that you have so much heart that it _broke_ you when you were heartbroken," she told him earnestly. "I'm not surprised you didn't fight him — what were you going to fight him with? You have to have something left to give if you're going to push back a psychic attack. What, exactly, would you have fought him with?" She gestured at him. "I can hear it, you know. I know where you are, even if I know you won't let yourself go down that path fully."

"I should have fought."

Charlie let out a sigh before she simply closed the gap between them and pulled him into a solid hug — like it or not. "So fight now," she said quietly. "You can't change what happened, but I swear to you, if you leave, and you take another brother away from Chance, away from _me_ , I will never forgive you."

He was hugging her back, but he had to shake his head. "I already said I wouldn't do anything. Repeatedly."

"And although I am relieved to hear it from you, I'm not talking about that," she said. "I'm talking about that desire to run away and hide. You'd still be leaving us, you know."

"I was barely around before," James pointed out. "I don't see what the difference is. Really."

"I've been trying to tell you for years that's not the case," Charlie said. "But sure, go ahead and tell me my twin brother wouldn't fall apart losing you. I'm sure you know him better than I do."

"He'd get distracted with _something_ sooner or later," James said.

Charlie glared at him for a moment, scrunched up her nose, and then simply pulled back and slapped James across the face.

"Seriously?"

"I can't believe you'd be so callous," she said angrily. "What is it going to take to get it through your head that there are people here who would literally fall apart if you left? Don't you _care_? At all?"

"I do," James said with a growl. "But I know what kind of a mess I am, alright?"

"Well you've got a hell of a way of showing you care," Charlie snapped. "You think it's going to do anyone any good to lose more people? Really? You think that's going to fix it right up?" She smacked him again. "If I didn't think the world of you, I'd hate you right now."

"Maybe you _should_." He stared at her with an open expression before he stepped back just a pace, and when he spoke again, it was an odd combination of frustration, anger, and heartbreak. "Did you go — was there time for them to do Vanessa's funeral right?"

Charlie stopped outright before she let her shoulders drop. "I went," she said with a nod. "We tried to wait for you, but…"

"I was killing people."

She nodded. "I went," she said again. "I miss her."

He nodded again but didn't have anything else to add. It was something he'd wanted to know, but he didn't want to ask to anyone that didn't _know_ her. And seeing as most of them just _didn't._..

"Chance saw her," Charlie said in a much gentler tone than before. "He almost died; he was there on the other side long enough that Jean Grey sent him back — and he saw her."

James stared at her for a long moment, processing that and looking every bit as hurt as he'd looked every time Vanessa's name came up. "She had to have known what was coming," James said.

Charlie nodded. "She said she saw it — that it was an attack." She reached out gently to touch his shoulder, and he drew back slightly, though not enough to shake her. "She and Jean Grey sent my brother back to me, James. I owe her so much," she said in a trembling voice.

"He was in bad shape," James said, nodding.

"You kept him breathing long enough for Tyler to step in when Kurt brought him and Elin back." She nodded. "Thank you. Really."

"It was that close, then," he said quieter.

"He was pretty much dead when he got here," she said. "Tyler wore himself down to nothing just to get him going again." She looked up at him with her eyes shining. "You saved my brother, James. Please don't forget that. You saved his life. Your last act before Apocalypse got you, and you saved his life."

James hesitated, then took a second to gently pull her into a hug and kissed the side of her head. "Thanks, Charlie. No one told me that."

"See, if you're going to cheat on me, you should maybe do it behind my back and not in the kitchen," Gerry teased lightly as he came to meet up with Charlie.

"Come back in a few minutes; I'm not done," James said.

Charlie laughed at that and simply tightened the hug a little more, though when that happened, Gerry shook his head and decided to join them, though he was mostly wrapping Charlie up from behind so that Charlie was in a sandwich between them.

Charlie was grinning broadly when the boys finally let her out of the sandwich, and Gerry kept his arm around her shoulders as he grinned James's way. "Don't worry, little brother, I'll bring her back on time and all that."

"Not too worried about it," James said.

Charlie couldn't help but laugh at him. "Favoritism," she teased him.

"No, just … you're old enough for it not to be an arrestable offense," James said.

Gerry smirked at that. "Hear that, Lottie? Sounds like permission to me. Now all we gotta do is get the other brother and your dad on board…"

"You're ridiculous," she said, rolling her eyes at him.

"They'll deal with it," James said. "Or I'll point out to them how Dad handled it better."

"We're not even—" Charlie rolled her eyes. "Love you too, James," she said, sliding her arm around Gerry's waist as Gerry simply grinned even wider.


	17. An Angel in a Sea of Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's end this volume on a high note, shall we?

Sying had been watching Krissy get more and more miserable as time went on, and he honestly felt horrible about it. He didn't feel like he could _do_ anything to help her except to be there when she asked for him — and leave when she didn't want him to be there.

Thankfully, this was one of those times when she seemed to want him around, and he had been rubbing her back and trying his best to make her feel better when, all of a sudden, he felt her go totally tense and mutter out a little "ow" that got louder and more insistent the second time.

This wasn't the first time that she'd done something like this, so at first, Sying just held her hand and rubbed her back and tried to talk to her. But when it became increasingly clear that it wasn't _stopping_ , he had a moment of pure panic before the bamfs, who had been playing babysitter this whole time, decided to step in and simply get them both down to Hank, since _clearly_ , Sying was too slow on the uptake.

Of course, as soon as Hank saw the two of them, he rushed over to help, quickly getting everything set up for Krissy. And Sying simply stared at the fuzzy blue doctor, still not quite caught up on what was happening — until he finally started to grin.

"Oh, shut up," Krissy said, pointing a finger his way as Hank was getting her ready to go.

"I didn't say—"

"Just — just no," she said, shaking her head, though she waved him over anyway, and he came to sit beside her and give her his hand again. It wasn't like Sying could do anything about the fact that he was grinning, either, and all things considered, he really didn't feel it at all when Krissy was taking it out on his hand — since, well, he could literally _ignore_ it and let Krissy do whatever she felt like.

Of course, the bamfs were all freaking out, totally excited and running around in circles and generally tripping over themselves with the anticipation of meeting a brand new elfling — an elfling _from_ an elfling, they kept repeating over and over again, until Krissy told them to shut up or leave.

They did leave — but only so they could teleport into Kurt and Kate's room and start doing more or less the same thing: running around and being overexcited and more or less having a freakout in the middle of the room while Kurt tried to get them to slow down so he could even _understand_ what they were trying to say to him.

Of course, once Kurt was able to get it out of them, he looked like he was liable to do the exact same thing, his tail moving in quick, sharp motions betraying his excitement and worry before Kate simply had to laugh and reach over to grab his hand.

"Let's go meet our granddaughter," she prompted him, and he broke into a huge, disbelieving sort of grin before disappearing in a poof of blue, reappearing downstairs to find that Krissy was still in labor — and the few bamfs that had managed to stay quiet enough to stay behind were pacing circles in the middle of the air.

Of course, for the other side of the family, there was no bamf information system needed. Jubilee and the twins could hear Sying's panicked-excited projecting even if they'd been on the other side of the state, really, for how loud he was being.

Jubilee had to grab the twins by the collars of their shirts before they could dash off to go see the little one. "Oh no you don't," she said. "She does _not_ want an audience right now. You can wait."

Melody let out a sound of pure disappointment, and Celeste wriggled a bit in Jubilee's grasp, but they both ultimately knew that their mom was right — not that it made waiting any easier.

Downstairs, Kate was on the other side of Krissy, gently coaching her and reassuring her and barely containing her own excitement until, finally, there was the unmistakable cry of a baby. Kurt's head came up fast from where he was waiting, breaking into a huge grin that turned into a laugh when the Lee twins dashed downstairs as soon as the baby was born, waiting _only_ long enough to know that Krissy was decent before they rushed down.

Hank was chuckling to himself as he wrapped up the little one, smiling at the pure white coat of fur she had on her, though it was a touch pink until she could have a bath.

Her tail was caught in her mouth still, both hands latched onto it as she sucked on the end — which was how Hank had gotten a cry out of her in the first place, as she had been unhappy with him when he tried to move the tail out of her grasp.

But once she was settled back down, Hank laid her gently in Krissy's arms, and the tired purple elfling simply started to cry as she brushed her hands over the light, fluffy white fur. "She's got your hair, Sying," she teased lightly — which was true on several counts, since she had some light white hair in addition to the fur.

"Yeah, she does," he said in a tone that was barely a whisper, staring down at the little girl as he gently reached out to play with one hand, getting a little squeak of protest until it was clear he wasn't trying to get her to let go of the tail with the other hand.

"She's _adorable_ ," Melody breathed out, her eyes wide.

"Of course she is," Jubilee said as she arrived with Noh and Ael. "Like we'd expect anything less."

Krissy grinned over at Jubilee as she let Sying hold the baby elfling. "You said it, Mom."

As soon as the little one was out of Krissy's arms, Jubilee very nearly wrapped herself around her to kiss the side of her head and snuggle her. "Best daughter-in-law ever."

Krissy couldn't help but laugh as she snuggled Jubilee right back. "I'm your only daughter-in-law," she pointed out.

"Shush with the details," she said in an almost scandalized tone.

Kurt chuckled at both of them as he rested a hand on Sying's shoulder, leaning over to get a better look at the baby while the other elflings started to poof in — pink and blue smoke announcing their arrivals. "She's absolutely stunning, _Prinzessin_ ," Kurt breathed out Krissy's way.

"Her name is Ariel," Sying said without taking his eyes off of the baby, who had clearly no interest in any of the people around her and was still happily sucking on her tail.

"Fitting," Kate said with a smile.

"I like her fur," Kade said, leaning over to wave at Ariel.

"Pretty," Chelsea agreed, holding her hands up for Kurt to pick her up so she could see better. "Hi, baby."

Krissy beamed at her baby sister from where she was tiredly leaning back into Jubilee and Kate. "Hey, Aunt Chelsea. Say hi to Ariel."

"Hi, baby," Chelsea said again, waving a bit more enthusiastically, while Sying couldn't stop smiling at the two girls.

"I was kind of hoping for blue," Ael said with a teasing smile.

"No, that's just for you and me," Kaleb said, grinning his way. "Can't get overused — or anyone'll do it."

Sying shook his head at that before he finally looked up at where his and Krissy's moms were clearly waiting for their chance to hold the little girl. He was sure to give Ariel a kiss on the forehead before he let Kate snuggle her.

And, of course, Kate did almost the exact same melt she'd done when K had brought Chelsea home, snuggling right into the tiny, fluffy baby. "Oh yeah," she said as she rubbed noses with the little girl. "You are _too cute_."

"Look at the material," Kari said with a smirk.

Krissy couldn't help but grin at her sister for that one, tired and smiling as she watched first Kate and then Jubilee melt into puddles over the fuzzy baby girl. Not that Kurt and Noh were any better. Kurt couldn't even come up with anything to say as he stared down at Ariel, and Noh was speechless as well. Sying even caught his dad wiping away a tear, though he didn't say anything about it.

Of course, the snuggle fest couldn't last indefinitely, especially when Ariel was still so little. Krissy took her back to let her eat and fall asleep, and the crowd of tiny elflings and Kree slowly dispersed to give them their privacy.

* * *

Of course, the word had spread 'round the mansion like wildfire, and even if it hadn't, the Howlett family had their own direct contacts. And as for James, he had decided to at least _try_ to do something for Krissy and Sying, since he hadn't really been around either of them for the entire pregnancy. If it wasn't the whole mental torture he was putting himself through, then it was a blockade of bamfs that seemed to be warning him off. Which was fine, for the most part. But he'd decided that avoiding them had been a mistake too.

So he had a little bag set up next to his desk, and when Sadie told him that the little elfling had finally arrived, he waited to hear the excited chatter in the halls that signaled when the Wagner clan had left Krissy alone for a few minutes. But this time, when he saw the group of bamfs flanking the doors to the lab — growling at him — he simply growled back, lower and a little more earnestly before he stepped into the lab and held one finger up in front of his lips when Sying turned to see what the story was.

"Did you need a picture?" James asked Sying at a whisper.

Sying broke into a huge grin and barely nodded, not moving either of the sleeping girls beside him. Krissy was out, Ariel was curled up on her chest — it was the perfect moment.

James nodded and set the camera bag down and very carefully and quietly took a few simple snapshots. "If you can get her away, I'll set up in Hank's office. I've got an idea," he said so that there was no way anyone but Sying could hear him. "Tell her it's for Hank if she needs it."

Sying nodded slowly and very, very gently reached down to pick up Ariel. The baby didn't wake, but Krissy did, sleepily looking up at Sying before he gently pushed her hair back. "Just holding my girl," he told her, earning a sleepy sort of nod, and he kept brushing her hair back until she fell asleep again.

Before Krissy might spot him, James zipped off for Hank's office and started to set things up. By the time Sying got there, James had pulled together a little studio — more or less. "We can be quick," he told Sying. "The little one's passed out solid … so is Krissy. Just keep it to yourself, okay?"

Sying grinned widely and nodded, gently handing Ariel off to James so he could pose her how he wanted her. As James worked, the bamfs peeked in on the makeshift studio, and even the ones who were still the angriest at James couldn't quite stop their grins at all of the adorable newborn pictures that were being taken in Hank's office.

And by some stroke of luck, just as James was wrapping up, the little one let out a huge yawn, momentarily letting go of her tail and then simply blinked up at him once she'd finished yawning and stretching — allowing James to get a wonderful shot of her big, wide eyes.

Sying couldn't stop grinning at that as he looked over James's shoulder. "Oh, that's perfect," he said. "Ariel, say hi to your Uncle James. We made him godfather too, so be really nice, alright?"

"You did what?" James asked, turning to look at Sying with an expression of alarm.

"Yeah, you and Elin - she's godmother," Sying said, looking as if this was perfectly reasonable and he couldn't understand why James was surprised.

James blinked a couple of times, smirked crookedly, and set the camera aside, making room for Sying to step in. "I just didn't think I'd be in the running."

Sying grinned and hugged him tightly. "Of course you were. It was down to you and Chance, but we decided you were the better fit." He gave James a grin full of trouble. "After all, my firstborn is _not_ going to have Krissy's ex for a godfather," he teased.

"Oh, well if that's what the deciding factor was," James said, nodding as if that made all the difference. He gestured to the fluffy little girl still staring at them both. "She's kinda cute."

"Yes, and I expect you to positively spoil her," Sying said, grinning. "You're totally the right godfather for her, really."

"I"m trying very hard not to question your judgement," James said, absently reaching out to hold the little one's hand.

Sying smirked even harder at that. "Nope, I'm not," he said before he straightened up a bit. "Do you think you could send Grammy K and Grandpa Wolvie down? And probably Elin and Chance — you know, so Krissy can see her best friend."

"Yeah, I can do that. I'll be passing by my parents … and I'll stop in by Elin too," James promised. "I'll get these together soon enough so you don't have to keep it from her for too long. I'll even act like I wasn't here when I come back."

Sying grinned and hugged James again. "You're the best," he said. "She's going to _love_ them."

James nodded, though he returned the hug. "Okay. Get your little girl so I can gather up this stuff and get out."

Sying grinned as he picked up the tiny elfling, who had latched back onto her tail, and couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "Oh, I can already tell that's going to be a hard habit to break," he said, shaking his head.

"Pretty sure they all did that," James said, quickly moving to put everything away.

"If they did, I don't know about it," Sying chuckled. He kissed the top of Ariel's head as she seemed to finally pay him a little more attention, watching him with wide eyes now that she was awake. He grinned right back down at her and started to absently hum as he walked around with her, which Ariel seemed to love, her tail swaying and escaping her mouth — and then upsetting her as she tried to recapture it.

"If you're going to get her crying, I'm going to be stuck here for a while," James said as he finally shoved the camera into the bag with the rest of the gear.

Sying shook his head at that as he tried to gently coax Ariel back into relaxing, singing under his breath and helping her to get a hold of her tail again — preventing the building tantrum. At least for the time being. "Well, at least we know she's musical."

"Not surprised," James said, then peeked out of the office to see that Krissy was still solidly passed out still. He gave Sying a smirk and then darted out, perfectly silently as he zipped past her and out of the lab, once again leaving them alone.

Sying couldn't stop grinning as he sat down with Ariel, still singing softly to her now that she was awake — and that was how Logan, K, Elin, and Chance found the little family when they did come down a while later. Krissy was waking up, and the bamfs were plying her with coffee and scrambling to get their turn looking at the fluffy white elfling.

"How are you feelin'? Not ready to run a marathon, I'll bet," K asked when she came over to give Krissy a kiss, and then the little one — and _then_ Sying.

"Very tired," Krissy said, leaning back into her pillows with a smile that showed off just how much that was true.

"She just went back to sleep," Sying said, gesturing to the tiny ball of fluff in his arms. "We've been talking and getting to know each other," he added, clearly proud and still riding a high from the whole thing.

Logan had headed over to take a seat next to Krissy — after she'd gotten a hug and a little smile. "You need anything?" he asked her.

Krissy shook her head, smiling tiredly. "No, the bamfs are keeping me in good supply," she said, ruffling the nearest little one's hair and getting a giggle and a thumbs-up.

"They better," Logan said with a little growl, half to rile them and half to get a smirk out of Krissy.

Elin took up the spot on the other side of Krissy and then leaned in to snuggle. "So, _Mom_. Do you need any mom-type things this morning? Gallon or three of coffee? Pancakes? Are you looking for pickles finally?"

Krissy just laughed and shook her head. "No," she said. "But _you_ should hold your godbaby before the great-grandparents step in."

"But her dad is so attached …he might die if anyone else touches her."

Sying grinned over at Elin and made his way over to _very_ gently put Ariel in her arms. "I think I'll risk it," he teased.

Elin shook her head at him and gave him a kiss before he could back up, and then, she had to smile at the fluffy white little girl. "I think … she likes her tail. Lil' bit."

Sying chuckled. "Yeah, don't try to take it away from her — or the part demon side comes out."

Chance couldn't help but laugh as he looked over Elin's shoulder. "Oh, so that's where it is…"

"It's such a tiny part, though," Elin said. "And she doesn't _look_ like a demon."

"Oh, I know," Krissy said with a smile. "Papa's already calling her _Engelchen_."

"Of course he is," Elin said as she reached up to run a hand over Ariel's hair. "I think he's not too far off."

"No kidding," Chance said, still grinning over her shoulder. "Jolie's going to love her when she sees her. Another little white fluffball around the mansion."

Elin looked over to Chance and then turned. "Here. Your turn — since you're already melting all over, you giant marshmallow."

Chance beamed as he readjusted Ariel in the crook of his arm. "She takes after you, Sying," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, careful — she actually does have some real strength to that tail if she hits you with it," Sying said, looking like he was going to totally explode with pride.

"Hoping for a super strong baby?" Chance asked with a smirk. "Brave."

"But so, so fun," Krissy insisted, leaning over to kiss Sying's cheek.

Of course, it wasn't long after that when Chance handed Ariel over to K, who took the squirmy little girl and gave her a tickle that had her at least not whining. Once she halfway settled out, K couldn't help but run a finger over her cheek — and then laugh outright when the little one turned her head to try and bite at K's hand. "Oh, that's my favorite part. The chomp."

"She's pretty much cute no matter what she does; let's be real here," Krissy teased. "No choice in the matter."

"Good genes," K agreed, and when she had the little one starting to get active she smirked and gave Ariel a little kiss — then handed her to Logan, who gave her a look for that.

"You're not funny," Logan said to his wife, settling the little one into his arms. He was just shaking his head as Ariel let out a sigh and simply started chomping on her tail. "It doesn't count when they're half asleep."

"She wasn't half asleep. She was all fired up for you," K pointed out.

Logan closed his eyes and let out a little growl that had no real irritation to it — but Ariel seemed to really like that, and she stopped biting her tail to stare up at him.

Sying couldn't help but laugh when he saw it. "Grampa Wolvie, meet your great-granddaughter, Ariel," he said. "I think she likes you."

"You're on that whole joke too, eh?" Logan said in a drawl Sying's way.

"Hey, you're my grandpa. I kind of think everyone should love you. I'm _so_ biased," Sying said, grinning widely.

"You are," Logan agreed, though it was clear that Ariel was simply transfixed. "Alright. She's probably looking for her mother."

Krissy giggled as she held her arms out for the little girl. "Please tell me one of you was taking pictures," she said, looking over at the bamfs. And, of course, the reporter bamf quickly chattered back to reassure her that, yes, he had pictures of everyone that had come to see Ariel.

Logan gently handed the little one back to her mother and took a moment to kiss Krissy's forehead. "You do good work, kiddo."

"Thanks," Krissy said with a beaming smile. "She's beautiful. And I'm really, _really_ glad she's out now."

Logan chuckled at that and stepped back to take K's hand. "We'll see you when you come upstairs."

Krissy beamed at him and waved him off. "We'll be up soon," she said. "After Ariel gets something to eat first."

With that, the Howletts left the new little family to snuggle up together.

Sying kept pressing little kisses to Krissy's forehead every once in a while, over the moon happy about their little girl. Eventually, the two of them did make their way upstairs — with Sying still half wrapped around his girls — so that they could get some breakfast, and they were, of course, immediately wrapped up in excited members of their more extended family.

Annie insisted that Krissy sit down with her new little one and let her ply her with food — and Sying got hit with the big breakfast, too, just because Annie was on a roll and wasn't going to stop anything soon.

As soon as the little family was all set up, Ariel got passed around so that Annie could melt all over herself and Scott could _grin_ like he was going to break his face holding the little one — so the morning was pretty much starting out perfectly.

James came in shortly after the buzz around the new family had died down a bit. He looked tired, and it was pretty apparent that he hadn't slept as he stepped into the room, paused, and frowned for a moment at the gathered group. He took a few steps back and out of the room, and when he returned, it was with a box that was wrapped with a little bow.

He made his way over to Krissy when she was settled in and enjoying her breakfast to set the box down next to her and kiss the top of her head. "Congrats," he said, continuing on his way right for the kitchen — and coffee. "Sorry I wasn't around much."

"Oh, what's—" Krissy started to say, but James was already gone, and she just shook her head as she turned her attention to the box in front of her. She smiled to herself as she tore open the packaging — only to freeze with her eyes wide and one hand over her mouth as she saw the pictures inside, already prepared in a gorgeous album.

She started to tear up as she looked up at Sying, who was grinning widely enough that she just _knew_ he'd known about it. She let out a sort of disbelieving laugh before she threw her arms around him to kiss him, quickly going back to the pictures as she simply and happily cried her eyes out.

As usual, the photos were perfectly in focus and managed to capture exactly how sweet the little white elfling was, gumming her tail, eyes shut tight, fluffy … and in most of them, she looked like she was sleeping. He'd put in poses of her half curled on herself, poses with her on her side on what looked like a soft, purple velvet, which contrasted perfectly to the bright white fluff. She was in at least a dozen adorable little poses — and so many of the pictures were just her with a pretty colored fabric, her little face in perfect focus. Or just her little feet. Or her tiny hands.

And at the very end was the one where she'd opened her eyes and stared at him, the focus fuzzy at the edges, but her little tail had been caught perfectly, just out of reach of her little hand.

By the time Krissy got through looking at all of the pictures, her eyes were positively swimming, and she simply teleported to the kitchen when she was done, nearly knocking James over with the hug that she gave him.

"You are so amazing! And I love you!"

"Okay, Hi," James said after he'd hastily set his coffee cup down. "Love you too."

"When did you even get those pictures?" she gushed.

He had to smirk at her for that. "You were asleep. You don't mind, do you?"

"I love them so much!" she gushed again, still hugging James tightly. "You're the best, and I just — I just — you're so sweet, and I love them."

"Well as long as you're happy," he said quietly, hugging her back.

"Best godfather ever," she said, beaming up at him. "Come and hold her, please — where I can see you hold her and get a picture of Ariel with her godfather. Please?"

"Do I have a choice?" James asked, fully expecting the 'no' that was to follow.

"Um, absolutely not," she said, tugging on his hand. "It's a law."

"If you say so," James said, though he let her pull him along.

Krissy was still grinning as she pushed James into sitting beside Sying so he could hand over the little girl — and then made sure that she got a picture on her own phone too. "Best day ever."

"You're ridiculous, but I'm glad you liked them," James said as he took the little girl — and like before, she seemed to wake up enough to stare at him while she worked over the tip of her tail.

"Oh my gosh. How long has this been going on?" Kari asked from the doorway. "I leave for five minutes to help Chelsea put her shoes on and I miss this?"

Krissy giggled delightedly. "Bad timing," she agreed.

Kari smirked at her sister as she sat down, but her gaze fell on the picture book, and her lips parted in a small 'o' shape as she realized what it was. She looked through the pictures in almost reverent silence before she let out a little noise and simply slipped over to James to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You… I don't even know what to do with you sometimes."

"That seems to be the consensus." James looked up at her and then tipped his head at the little fluffball. "You're up, I think. Unless you already got enough this morning. I know I was slow getting down here."

"Oh, I'm never going to get enough of my niece," Kari said, scooping up the tiny fluffball, rubbing noses with her, and getting a little squeak in return. "Thanks for keeping her warmed up for me," she teased.

At that, Sying leaned over to Krissy with a smile. "You know we're never getting her back, right?"

"I'm starting to see that, yeah," Krissy said, leaning back into Sying's chest with a smile as she watched her sister make over her baby girl.


End file.
